


Yet the World Still Spins

by AnxiouslyIntroverted



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Becomes Byler, Blood and Gore, Blood and Injury, Brief Mileven, Canon-Typical Violence, Everyone Needs A Hug, Gen, Insecure Will Byers, It Gets Worse Before It Gets Better, M/M, Mental Health Issues, Mentioned Dustin/Suzie, Misunderstandings, Multi, Period-Typical Homophobia, Protective Eleven | Jane Hopper, Self-Doubt, Self-Worth Issues, Slow Burn, Swearing, Takes place during season 3, Will Byers Has Issues, Will Byers Has Powers, Will Byers-centric
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-13
Updated: 2020-12-29
Packaged: 2021-03-05 23:13:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 10
Words: 31,450
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25883410
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AnxiouslyIntroverted/pseuds/AnxiouslyIntroverted
Summary: What if Joyce and Hopper weren't able to find Will? What if he escaped the Demogorgan, but was left stranded in the Upside Down?This is the story of a boy returning to a world that continued on without him.
Relationships: Eleven | Jane Hopper/Mike Wheeler (Briefly), Jonathan Byers & Steve Harrington & Nancy Wheeler, Joyce Byers/Bob Newby, Maxine "Max" Mayfield/Lucas Sinclair, Will Byers & Dustin Henderson, Will Byers & Eleven | Jane Hopper, Will Byers & Lucas Sinclair, Will Byers & Maxine "Max" Mayfield, Will Byers & The Party, Will Byers/Mike Wheeler
Comments: 139
Kudos: 459





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Real quick, I'd like to just apologize for any possible mistakes. I proofread this myself so there may be some things I've missed. Also, all sentences in italics are thoughts. Thank you for reading!

The salty taste of old, canned beans never failed to make him wince. He gulped the rancid meal down a sandpaper throat and heaved out a near silent sigh. The fluorescent light above him swung limply from a single wire, electricity still stubbornly urging it to flicker and hum. Black vines that glittered with ooze and smelled of decay draped themselves across walls and floors, tendrils embracing the inedible boxes of perishables on the shelves. The very air had been tinged a cold blue, a somber breath filling the lungs of a world that had stopped spinning.

He sat alone in the decrepit store, shirt swallowing his too-thin body and pants clinging desperately to his hips. He’d abandoned the clothes he came here in ages ago, his body having grown with time that felt as though it’d only affected him. His hair was longer, shaggy and uneven due to his own clumsy attempts of keeping it short. It reminded him of his brother's hair, the brother that he swore he sometimes heard when he’d return to the place that had once been his home. The same one whose clothes he now wore, having found them in the barely held together dresser still somehow standing in that tiny house just outside of town.

With his sorry excuse for dinner now choked down, he stood and grabbed his backpack before slowly creeping towards the storefront. His ears had become keen over the countless weeks he’d spent running from one nightmare to another. Hazel eyes scanned not only the trashed parking lot and surrounding tree line, but also searched the ever burning sky for danger. Seeing and hearing nothing, he continued on his way out of the store with silent footsteps.

He’d almost made it back towards the main intersection when a sudden jolt rattled through the ground, the sound of tearing flesh ringing as the sky bloomed a violent crimson. His head whipped around, staring to the north side of town. Something was happening, but what? Should he run toward it or away? Did he want to take another chance? His body made the decision for him. His legs moved at their own accord, caution thrown to the wind as he ran down the crumbling sidewalk. His mind kept urging him to go faster, _faster_ , to get there before it was too late.

He didn’t know what it meant.

Eventually, he arrived at a large building that had appeared near the edge of town months ago with little to no explanation. He went to go in the front entrance, but stopped. _No, no that isn’t right._ His feet carried him to the back towards large garage doors, obviously meant for various shipments from trucks. He allowed his unsettled mind to guide him to the door third in from the left. He kneeled and grabbed the slightly lifted metal, grunting as he pushed the door up just enough to create a small but reasonable gap. He moved to climb in, but found that his backpack became stuck when he tried to enter. Hesitating for only a moment, he had the eerie feeling that it was unlikely he'd be needing it after today and tossed the tattered bag to the side before crawling through the opening.

A set of heavy metal doors stood dented and scratched in front of him, the pair looking as though they'd been pried apart by something. Something large and something _angry_. He continued onward never the less, squeezing through the clumsy pulled apart metal. Haphazardly stacked boxes surrounded him as he looked around the dark space. A few seconds of fumbling later, he was able to find a panel of five buttons next to the door. He pressed the one in the center. After a long moment of nothing happening, he let out a soft curse. He tried again, and again, and again. His urgency kept building with every attempt, his need to get to the source of the disturbance nonsensical yet overpowering. With a yell and a rough jab, there was a spark. With a tired whirr, the room suddenly began to plummet downward, the slightly open doors scraping noisily as the descent gained speed.

Whether the fall lasted a moment or for a millennia, he couldn’t tell you. His body deflated when the room, apparently elevator, finally came to a stop. He crawled out of the gap of the door and into a hallway that seemed to stretch on for miles. Once again, he began to run. His lungs burned, his legs ached, yet he couldn’t stop. If he stopped, he didn’t know when he’d get another chance. He silently implored, _another chance for what?_ His mind ignored him, only continuing to usher him forward down the hall. There was a fire lit inside of his chest, growing hotter as he came closer to his goal.

Mercifully, the hallway ended at a junction of what appeared to be a lab. His body moved on auto-pilot as he ran through a series of doors, skirting around control panels and machinery. Doorways once red and silver were murky crimson and gray. Not even this palace of fortitude was able to escape the ever-growing rot of this world. After having to turn around at multiple dead ends, frustration mounting like lava threatening to spill from a mountain, he finally crashed into the correct room. He gasped at what he saw. He didn't know how he did, but he instantly _knew_ what it was that he was looking at.

A gateway.

It throbbed like a festering wound on the wall, slowly growing and stretching as the very atoms that held it together were pulled apart. A light bloomed within the tear, beckoning and threatening at the same time. There was no telling what was on the other side. He could immediately be met with more monsters, shadow or otherwise. He could be killed the moment he stepped through, the gate not meant to allow life as fragile as his through. He could find a reality on the other side that would make his stomach churn and heart ache even worse than this one did.

But there was only one way to find any of that out.

Clutching the courage that had been built and broken countless times by the hell-scape around him, he rushed out across concrete that was splattered with shredded vines. The light was getting brighter, the wound was growing bigger, his body was on the verge of giving out—

He flung himself through the gate with an agonized scream and the wound sutured itself closed.

The sounds of his heavy breaths and the frantic punches his heart was hammering against his rib cage confirmed that he was still alive. He blinked through the haze created by watering eyes and heavy smoke. The scent of burnt flesh invaded his senses as his head cleared. He was in the very same place he’d just come from, except entirely different. There were no vines, no gurgling growls, no blue mist. This wasn’t the nightmare he’d been trapped in for days turned centuries. This was _his_ world. He could hear voices, real voices, carrying across the room.

Their foreign language spurred him into action.

He scrambled on hands and knees through the smoke, gagging when he almost crawled directly into a charred, bloody pile that may have been a body at one point. He’d almost made it to the door when it swung open. He hid behind the metal tubes coming up from the floor, thankful for his finely tuned reflexes born from paranoia and terror.

He could hear two men speaking urgently, though he didn’t have the faintest idea what they were saying. Despite the fact that the only thing he could base it on was fading memories of bad television, he assumed they were speaking Russian. But, that didn’t make any sense. Even in the other world, he was still in Hawkins, wasn’t he? He couldn’t have left the country, could he? Did the gate transport him somewhere else?

The two men moved further into the room to inspect the large machine that had now powered down, undoubtedly the device responsible for the gate. He had no time to dwell on it, instead slipping carefully through the door and behind more machinery, narrowly avoiding the eyes of passing guards. Until he made it back outside and determined where exactly he was, he needed to stay hidden.

With the same stealth that had kept him alive in the world that seemed created for the sole purpose of killing him, he moved from box to box, machine to machine, staying silent and out of sight despite the racket his heart was making in his ears. As he approached the hallway, he noticed two men talking in front of a small, red car that resembled a simplified van. The back door had been left open, just big wide enough for him to be able to jump in. _It’s better than walking. There’s nowhere to hide in the hallway._ He waited for one of the men to get into the driver’s seat and the other to turn around to leave before hopping into the back. He laid as still as humanly possible as the small van zipped down the long hallway. He could only pray that he’d be taken in the right direction.

By some miracle, the driver wasn’t stopped or searched, just continued down the hall at a brisk pace until coming to rest before the elevator door. The driver got out and opened the elevator with a key card, mumbling to himself unintelligibly. He waited in the back of the cart for the driver to be fully distracted before he hopped out and hid on the opposite side of the vehicle. He could hear the sound of boxes being picked up and moved though it was muted beneath the frenzied panic coursing beneath his mask of calm.

Carefully timing his steps so that he circled the car directly opposite the guard’s view, he made his way slowly to the front before bolting into the room. He crouched low behind one of the piles of boxes, holding his breath when he heard the guard pause. The agonizing moment ended as soon as it had begun, the guard simply taking one last, three-box stack before leaving. The heavy doors closed with a resounding clang and he allowed the air to be set free from his lungs. There would no doubt be more guards up above and the elevator going back up to surface level on its own was bound to draw suspicion. The most he could do for now was sit and wait for someone to need a lift.

A beep ricocheting off the metal walls around him startled him awake as the elevator began to quickly climb to the surface. He shuffled into a tighter ball, obscuring himself further behind the boxes. There was no way to know what exactly he’d be facing once the door opened again, but he steeled his nerves and prepared for the worst. He’d come this far, he wouldn’t throw away such hard work so easily.

Another beep sounded through the elevator as it came to a gentle halt, the doors folding open a moment later. Two heavy sets of footsteps came into the room, the owners silently surveying the area. He held his breath as he wait for their gazes to go elsewhere.

Outside, someone barked what may have been an order and the unseen guards quickly left. Carefully, he crawled out from the boxes enough to see out the opening. There was a truck just within view, a group of men all armed to the teeth speaking in hushed tones were circled around the back of it. The cluster of trees just beyond the parking lot were blessedly familiar. This was the same place he’d come from, he was still in Hawkins. Why there were Russians in Hawkins was beyond him and should probably scare him, but what was important right now was that he was _home_.

He edged closer to the door, hiding just behind the wall. All he needed was a small distraction in order to get out of the elevator. He looked out over the lot, spotting a small rock. There were times in the other world when things would happen if he thought hard enough, grew desperate enough. Maybe he could still do it? His eyes bore into the rock intensely, his thoughts all chanting a never ending mantra of _move, move, move, move, move._

One of the guards went to turn and a spike of anxiety launched through him. The rock decided at that moment to shoot off down the asphalt, its echoing skips mirroring the sounds of scurrying feet. The armed men were instantly on high alert. Two moved to go and check the noise while the other two stayed by the back of the truck, guns loaded and readied. Quickly, he dashed from the elevator to beneath the truck, allowing the shadows to fall over him. It was already dark out, the night sky beautifully void of clouds swirling red and purple. The guards converged once more, muttering a few words before beginning to unload the truck. Each of the men got armfuls and the four went together to arrange them in the elevator, talking and joking as they went.

It was now or never.

With shaking legs, he propelled himself out from beneath the truck and towards the trees. He heard someone say something. He didn’t know if someone saw him, but he didn’t dare look back. If he hesitated now, he would be killed and here was, decidedly, a stupid place to die. He ran far into the woods, far from the Russian guards, the strange building, the danger he couldn’t seem to escape. Panic drove him blindly through foliage that scratched and licked at his skin, his eyes seeing nothing as he ran from the ghosts at his heels.

His foot caught on a tree root.

He tumbled roughly for a few feet, bruises and scrapes littering his knees and arms once he finally came to a halt. He breathed deeply, once then twice, before rolling onto his back. The trees surrounding him were silent. He was alone. It was over. As he lay battered in the woods, hazel eyes gazing up at the stars while blood dried like cement on his upper lip, a lone tear glided down his cheek.

His name is Will Byers. He’s been missing since 1983.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much to everyone who's left comments so far! It really means a lot that you take the time to do so and reading them really brightens up my day! Again, apologies for any possible mistakes, I proofread this myself so I may let something slip occasionally. Thank you for reading!

It was only after the feeling had returned to his thin legs that Will pushed himself to stand and continued on his way through the woods. His eyes adjusted slowly to the darkness around him, his time in the other world having made him accustomed to navigating through shadows. He could almost weep at just how much easier it was to breathe here, the cotton that was once stuffed into his lungs had finally been removed. The humidity that clung to the air and the mosquitoes dancing around his limbs were a startling indicator that Hawkins was well on its way to entering summer. If Will remembered correctly, he disappeared some time in fall. Was it October or November? _Oh god, how long have I been gone?_

There was no way to really know if time worked the same there as it did here. Was it faster? Slower? Did time exist at _all_ in that place? He knew that he had gotten older. His voice cracked during his moments of soft singing more often than he’d like to admit, his body was taller and more awkward than it once was. That didn’t change the fact that nothing else there had seemed to grow or change, though he supposed he should consider that a blessing. That still left one problem though: Would anyone recognize him? What if they assumed he was—

He pushed his thoughts aside for the moment.

Thanks to countless days of running and hiding throughout his hometown, Will knew exactly where he was. Up ahead was the tree with the knotted branch, about four miles to the west he’ll be able to find the quarry. If he continued south from there then eventually he’ll stumble upon his backyard. The very thought of returning home and being back in the loving arms of his mom and brother was enough to make his chest throb. He wanted desperately to tell his mom how much he’d really and truly missed her. He wanted to tell Jonathan how the songs he played for him kept him company on the darkest nights. He wanted—no, he _needed_ to tell them he loved them.

He was so caught up in the daydream reunion that he failed to notice the thin piece of wire tied between a thick tree root and a bush. Again, Will found himself flat on his face as he tripped over the small trap, grunting as rocks dug into his palms. He went to move his foot, but froze as he heard a bell jingling. Ahead of him, he could faintly hear the sound of a door being opened. Scrambling, he quickly untangled his foot and leapt into a nearby bush.

He stilled as he heard the sound of footsteps approaching, a beam of light gliding over the ground as its owner searched. Back and forth, the flashlight swept over the leaf covered ground and overgrown shrubs. His breath caught as the person came closer, the steadiness of their steps holding the confidence of one who could protect themselves from threat.

The light paused a foot away from where Will hid, zeroed in on the slightly skewed wire. There were a few beats of agonized waiting before the person finally turned away. The gentle footsteps dissipated into the distance and Will allowed the tension to drain out of his muscles. A quiet breath escaped his lungs.

A blink and he was now dangling in the air.

The light hit him with unrelenting brightness, revealing him in all of his dirty, scrawny glory while his body struggled against invisible bonds. Wide hazel eyes looked down to see astonished brown staring back. A girl, maybe a bit older than him? He couldn’t really tell, especially when he didn’t even know how old _he_ was now. Her loose curls fell in a chaotic sort of tidiness, her frame almost swallowed by the old, plaid shirt she wore. Her face, serious yet innocent, was familiar. But, how? Who—

A thin line of blood dribbled from her nose and the image clicked. The girl he saw in Castle Byers. The girl that flickered like a phantom in the woods. The girl who could see him.

Her voice was a strangled croak.

“Will?”

Will sat on the girl’s, on _El’s_ , bed in a numbed state of shock. After being dropped onto the ground, apologized to, hugged, then dragged into a lone cabin to shower and change into clothes that hung even more limply on his malnourished body than they did on his new companion’s, his brain felt as though it had simply shut off. He almost had to be physically dragged from the shower. It had been so long since he’d had the luxury of running, hot, _clean_ water that he was almost afraid he’d never feel it again if he stepped out. Now, he sat warm and unbearably exhausted on a bed that was free of vines and offered nothing but comfort to his fatigued bones. The thin blanket around his shoulders helped to ground him slightly, a comfortable weight that was anything but stifling in the humidity that still drifted in the air conditioned room. He couldn’t even bring himself to be bothered by the fact that this stranger somehow managed to make him levitate a good ten feet off the ground only to bring him inside and dote over him. After what he’s seen, he couldn’t be bothered to question anything anymore.

He didn’t know much about her, but he _did_ know that she saw him while he was there. She even spoke to him, held his hand, promised that help was coming. Help never came, but he couldn’t find it within himself to blame her for that.

A small knock sounded at the door.

He blinked as El hesitantly came into the room, one hand holding a plate that balanced two waffles topped with whipped cream and maple syrup while the other held a glass of water. The genuine delight that blossomed within him upon seeing the childish dish made him almost want to cry.

“Are you hungry?” El asked, approaching him slowly. She smiled when he nodded, his face lighting up when she handed the food to him. He couldn’t bring himself to feel ashamed as he ravenously dug in, though he did blush when he actually moaned at how good it tasted. El simply laughed, but her face soon turned sad. She asked, “How long has it been since you’ve had food?”

Will paused and looked at El for a long moment. It had been so long since someone had actually spoken to him, it was a jarring thing to get used to. His voice was a weak rasp as he answered, “Not too long. Ate lots of canned food, nothing like this.” He ate another bite, unable to stop himself from smiling at the taste.

El nodded and left the room briefly once more. By the time she returned with the first aid kit, Will had already devoured both waffles and drank over half his glass of water. She sat next to him on the bed, giving a reassuring smile when he stiffened. “It’s okay,” she said, showing him the kit. “I’m going to help you.”

Gently grabbing hold of Will’s arm, El began to clean and bandage the scrapes clawed into his skin. He winced slightly at the antiseptic’s sting, but otherwise remained perfectly still. He tried to ignore her small frown as she caught sight of his variety of scars and fading injuries. Will was just thankful she hadn’t seen the mess that was his chest and torso. As she worked, he allowed himself to take in her appearance. The hair was definitely the biggest change, a close second was the disappearance of her haunted expression. She seemed better, happier.

He was glad.

“What—” His voice cracked spectacularly. He coughed and tried again, “What day is it today?” El stopped her administrations, her hands frozen mid-band aid application.

“It’s June. June 28th,” She carefully sounded out.

_June? I’ve been gone eight months? No, that-that doesn’t sound right._

His arm trembled in El’s grasp as he asked, “What year is it?”

Her hesitation made his skin crawl. She carefully placed the band aid on the last of his large scrapes before sitting back. She said, “It’s 1985.”

His heart stuttered to a stop. The monster came for him during fall of 1983. He’d been gone for almost _two years_. It was no wonder she looked so different. No wonder he’d grown, he’s missed two birthdays, he’s _fourteen years old._ His reverie was broken by El shaking his shoulder, her voice demanding, “Will, breathe. You need to breathe!”

Taking a gasping breath, Will shook as his nerves were set alight. The information was so much to take in, but there was still so much he needed to know. Carefully, he asked, “Who… Who _are_ you?”

She blinked, “I told you. My name—”

“No, no, I know your name,” Will clarified. “I mean, how do you know who I am? Why did I see you before, in that other place? How could you see _me_?”

El frowned, thinking over her answer carefully. She said, “I was being chased. I escaped a bad place and bad men followed me. There was—” Her frown deepened and she shook her head. “I was almost caught at a diner, but I ran into the woods. Mike found me.” _Mike_. That name sent a wave of jittery warmth through him. El noticed his slight change in demeanor and continued, “He took me to his house. I saw a picture of you and, I can’t explain it, but it was like…”

“We were connected?” He offered.

She nodded, “I knew where you were, sort of. You were with the monster, the one I saw at the bad place. Mike calls it the Demogorgon.”

“Demogorgon?” Will echoed, his brow furrowing.

“Mike says that’s what got you when they were playing a game,” El explained.

Will blinked. Of course, how could he have forgotten? Just before biking home, Will the Wise had been attacked by the Demogorgon in his attempt to save his party from certain demise. He’d lost the reason he’d called the monster what he did months into the nightmare, more focused on surviving than lingering on memories that would only break his heart.

He cleared his throat roughly, “Anyway, you knew where I was?”

“Yes, but, we couldn’t get to you,” El said, looking troubled. “We tried looking, we tried very hard. But, then, they found you.”

“What?”

“They found you, but it-it wasn’t _you_ ,” she said, her voice becoming tight. “We saw them pull your body out of the water. Lucas, Dustin, they were crying.” Will felt something inside of him break. The thought of two of his best friends in the entire world crying over him made him feel sick. But, it didn’t make sense. How could they have found his body? He was startled when El mumbled, “But, Mike… He was so _angry_.”

“Angry?”

“He thought I lied. He thought I was lying about you being alive,” She said, blinking rapidly. Will frowned and awkwardly placed his hand on top of hers, hoping to provide some comfort despite being entirely out of his depth. She turned her hand to squeeze his, keeping a tight hold as she said, “The day after, I used his radio, and… And I was able to get you to come through. We heard you, we heard you on the radio, and Mike was so excited. We called Lucas and Dustin over. They took me to your school so I could use a bigger radio. It was easier to connect that time. We heard you yelling to your mom. You said it was cold.”

A feeling of shame and residual fear came bubbling to the surface. He remembered that desperation, how he cried out for his mother and begged her to help him. All he wanted was to get away from the monsters, from the dark, from the cold. To know that his friends had heard his pleading felt like a ball of ice had been dropped into his stomach.

“There was a funeral,” El said, her eyes staring down at her bed. “Mike, Lucas, and Dustin talked to your teacher, Mr. Clark. They asked him about alternate dimensions. They thought that’s what happened to you. You were stuck in another dimension, the Upside Down.” Will’s head tilted at the name. If he weren’t being told about events that had gone on during his _funeral_ , he would’ve laughed at how childish yet accurate the name his best friends had come up with was for the hell he’d been stuck in. “Your mom…” Will’s body snapped to attention at the mention of his mom.

“What happened to her? Is she okay? What about Jonathan?”

El smiled sadly, “She never stopped looking for you, neither did Jonathan. When they found out what we were doing, they helped us make an isolation tank at the school so I could find you. Hopper and Nancy helped too.”

“Wait, _Nancy?_ ”

El nodded, “She helped. Nancy’s friend, she was gone too. Nancy asked me to find her. I did, but…” She let out a heavy breath, her eyes shutting tightly in a grimace. Will gave her hand a small squeeze and she gathered herself. “It was already too late. Then I tried to find you, and I did. You were in a little… Fort?” She asked. He nodded and she continued, “You were laying on the ground. I told you to hold on, help was coming. I wanted to say more, to stay longer but… You disappeared. Help _was_ coming, Will. We were trying so hard—”

“I know,” Will whispered. He believed her, really he did. But it didn’t make the pain the unknowingly false promise caused any better.

“Your mom and Hopper went to the bad—the lab to find you,” El said. “Jonathan and Nancy went back to your house, they thought the monster was there. They wanted to kill it.” Seeing the dread growing in Will’s eyes, she quickly assured, “They’re okay! They weren’t able to kill it or maybe they did and there was more than one, but they were okay.” Will nodded, blinking slowly. “Mike, Dustin, Lucas, and I stayed at the school. The bad men came and so did the Demogorgon. They were trying so hard to protect me, but we got cornered in one of the rooms. The Demogorgon came in. I killed it, but I ended up in the Upside Down.”

Will’s eyes widened. _She was there too?_ “But, how did you get there? How did you get out?” He asked.

“I don’t know,” El answered honestly. “I don’t know how I got there, but there was an opening on the other side of the wall. I got out through there. Hopper found me. He hid me here, away from everyone so that I would be safe. I asked him about you. He said… He said you were dead. For real this time.”

“What?”

“He and your mom went to the Upside Down. There was a gate under the lab. They gave them an hour to find you. All they found was your vest. It had blood on it.”

The memory came rushing back like a landslide. He had laid shivering and sick in Castle Byers, alone and cold and waiting for the help that had been promised to him. Instead, only the gurgling growls and heavy footfalls of the Demogorgon could be heard just outside. One moment there was only stillness, the next his “castle” had been destroyed and he was caught in the unforgiving claws of the monster.

He’d struggled and kicked, screaming his head off for the damned thing to let him go. He was finally given a glimmer of hope in this horrid reality that only seemed to swallow it up, he didn’t survive all this time only to die right as he was about to escape. He shrieked and struggled, fighting with every fiber of his being.

There was a sudden jolt and the monster cried out. A jagged slash was cut into his shoulder as he freed himself, the Demogorgon too distracted by its own pain to keep its prey within its grasp. The vest was torn and fell onto the ground with a splat, forgotten among the vines as he bolted into the woods.

“Hopper said there wasn’t anything else they could do. I tried finding you again, but I couldn’t. No matter how long or hard I looked, you were gone. I knew you couldn’t be dead, I just _knew_ , but…” El trailed off, her bottom lip shaky as she tried to keep herself together.

Will felt himself becoming teary as he tried to swallow the lump building in his throat. Softly, he said, “It’s okay, El. I know you tried.”

They sat in silence for a long time, hands still locked together. Will didn’t know why but this person, this stranger he’d met just over an hour ago, made him feel like he’s known her his entire life. They were connected, somehow in some way. He could only assume, hope really, that she felt that way too. She worked so hard to find him, even after being told he was dead. No one would do that solely out of obligation to a friend, right?

Speaking of friends…

“How are they? Dustin? Lucas? Mike?”

“They’re…okay,” El mumbled. “They were upset for a long time. Sometimes they still are. But they aren’t hurt, not physically.”

Will let out a soft breath, nodding his head. He felt completely and utterly drained, his eyes drooping as the fight seemed to leave him all at once.

Seeing his fatigue, El untangled their hands and stood up. She wandered over to her dresser, pulling open the bottom drawers to grab two thick comforters. She started to set them out on the floor when Will stopped her. “Wait, you said earlier that Hopper would be back from his shift in a few hours, right? Won’t he freak out if he comes back and sees a random guy in your room?”

El’s brow furrowed, “But you’re not a random guy. You’re Will.”

“I know, but… It’s been two years, El. Who knows if he’ll even recognize me? Besides, I… I don’t know if…” The words piled up in his throat. He felt like a coward, but a sudden, gripping fear filled him at the thought of being seen by anyone else. Everyone thought he was _dead_. To all of his loved ones, Will Byers had died in 1983 and the lanky teen standing before El was a phantom of the boy they’d never get to witness grow up. In that moment, he didn’t want to let anyone see him besides El. He wanted to hide for a little bit longer, just until his head didn’t feel like it was floating away from his sinking heart.

A look of understanding crossed El’s face and Will felt like he could breathe. She bit her lip undecidedly, “But, where will we put you?”

Hazel eyes immediately jumped to the space beneath El’s raised bed. It was tight, but he’d slept in smaller spaces. “I, uh, could go there. He won’t see me if you put blankets over the sides.”

El nodded and unfolded the comforters, sliding them under so that they’d provide at least some cushion from the floor. She left briefly and came back with a small pillow obviously meant for a sofa, sliding it under as well. Once she was done, she sat back and looked at Will expectantly. He crouched down, gripping the blanket around his shoulders as he crawled on his belly under her bed.

He got comfortable as she arranged her blankets to hide him before getting into bed herself. She clicked off her lamp and settled. A heavy silence filled the night air.

“I’m not going to lie, I feel like a major creep right now.”

El’s laugh echoed throughout the cabin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Come chat with me on tumblr @anxiously-introverted! Please let me know what you think!


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! Thank you so much to everyone commenting/leaving kudos on this and for all of your kind words, I'm so happy and excited to hear what you all think! I apologize for any mistakes you may find, please let me know if there are any glaring errors. Thank you for reading!

A knock on the door nearly sent Will into cardiac arrest.

He instinctively froze as his eyes shot open, body lying rigid as he stared at the wooden slats above him. Memories of the previous night slowly trickled back to him as he heard El shift and call, “Come in.”

The door opened and Will heard a deep voice rumble, “Hey, kid. You ready for breakfast?”

“Yeah, I’ll be out in a minute.” The door closed again and, after a beat of silence, the blanket next to him lifted up to reveal El’s face peering at him upside down. Softly, she said, “Are you okay?”

“Fine,” he mumbled. “Forgot where I was at first. Was that Hopper?”

“Yeah. He’ll probably leave in an hour or two, he’s working his usual shift today. I’ll come and get you once he’s gone.”

Will nodded and the blanket dropped to conceal him once more. He heard El stand up and quietly leave the room, closing the door behind her with a solid click. Breathing deeply, Will allowed himself to reflect on last night’s events. He felt as though he were in a dream, like if he were pinched or even slightly jostled he’d be startled awake back in the Upside Down. _It’s weird, giving it a name._

 _I wonder what mom and Jonathan are doing now. Did mom lose her keys again? Did Jonathan burn the eggs? Do they miss me? Of course they do, they think I’m dead. Just like everyone else._ A knot tangled itself in his gut. There were nights that he’d make himself physically sick with the desperation he felt to be with his family and friends again. So, why? Why did it terrify him so much to see them again? They’ll be happy to see him, to know he’s not dead. They’ll cry and he will too, and they’ll hug him and the chunk missing from his heart will finally be filled again, and they’ll smile because they _found him_.

But they hadn’t found him. No one had even looked for him for a long time now. They thought he was dead. They thought he was resting peacefully after being torn to shreds, but in reality, he’d been running and screaming and crying and fighting for over a year. He battled an entire dimension filled with monsters, rot, shadows, and cold. He was promised help and in return, all he had to do was hold on. Well, he did hold on. He held on until his hands and his heart bled from the strain, never letting go for an instant. But, apparently, no one else had been holding on.

_That’s not fair. Everyone tried to find me. It’s not their fault. What were they supposed to think when they found my vest all torn up and bloody? There was only so much they could do. What matters is that I got out. Now I can see everyone again. I can see mom, and Jonathan, and Mike, and Lucas, and Dustin… Why am I so scared?_

The sound of the door opening startled him out of his troubled thoughts. He kept perfectly still as footsteps travelled into the room and stopped beside the bed. There was the rustle of someone settling on the ground and the blanket to his right was once again lifted to reveal El sitting on the floor with a plate holding two waffles and a fork set in front of her. Today, it looked like she had spread jam on each of the waffles, one bright red and the other pale orange.

“I only know how to make Eggo’s. I couldn’t sneak any food from Hop,” El explained, tone verging on bashful. She pointed at the waffles, “This one is strawberry, this one is peach.”

Will slowly slid out from under the bed, his stiff muscles aching in protest. “Thanks,” he said, gently sliding the plate towards himself. He haphazardly cut the waffle the best he could with the fork, smiling when he got his first bite of sugary sweetness. This kind of breakfast was one he could only dream of when he was little.

El grinned at him before standing. She grabbed a set of clothes from her dresser and went to the door. “Hopper left for the day, he won’t be back until 5:30. I’m going to take a shower. I’ll be right back.”

Will nodded absentmindedly, jam already smeared across his mouth. Table manners weren’t something one kept in mind while running for their life for months on end. El left the room and Will continued to think silently to himself. _El is probably going to try and bring me home today. Mom probably won’t be there, not if she still works at Melvald’s. Jonathan probably isn’t home either. I bet he has a summer job by now, maybe even two. I hope he isn’t still at that pizza place. He always came home with sauce in his hair._

A bitter sweet smile tugged at his lips. While he was stuck in the Upside Down, spending every waking moment dodging claws and vines alike, he never allowed himself to think about his family. He didn’t let himself think about his mom’s quiet laugh that managed to drown out everything around it nor did he let himself think about the way Jonathan sometimes danced around the kitchen when he made breakfast in the morning. He didn’t think about Mike’s huffy defenses for iffy campaign storylines, or how excited Lucas was to show them his wrist rocket for the first time only to smack himself in the face pulling back the rubber band, or how Dustin would study so hard for their science exams that they’d hear him sleep-talk about different types of rocks during their sleepovers. Just a few moments of reminiscing showed him the reason as to why he forbade himself from thinking about his loved ones all this time.

There was one drip, then a second and third in quick succession. Will blinked and touched his face, hiccuping when he realized tears had begun to flow unabashedly from his eyes. He missed them. He missed them so badly that it made him want to claw his heart out of his chest just to escape the searing pain for even just one moment. As selfish and cruel as it was, he wished that they missed him so much that they shared his ache. But they didn’t. They didn’t because they gave up on seeing him ever again, because they thought he was _dead_ —

“Will?”

A gentle hand touched his shoulder and he forced his waterlogged eyes to blink open. El sat in front of him, wet hair sticking to her concern face. She asked, “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” came the automatic reply, Will’s hands coming up to scrub roughly at his face. “Sorry, I was just… It’s nothing.” He sniffed then cleared his throat. Shame that sounded a lot like his father scolded him. Will attempted to smile, though the look that El shot him told him that she wasn’t going to let this go.

She opened her mouth to respond when an agonizingly familiar yet somehow off voice crackled from one of El’s dresser drawers, “El? El, you there?”

El quickly stood and opened her top drawer, pulling out a white walkie-talkie. She pressed the button on the side, “Mike?”

Will watched with vacant eyes as his best friend’s voice, now deep and weird and _wrong_ , sounded again, “Hey, you’re still coming to Dustin’s today, right? We should get there early to set everything up.”

“Mike, there’s something—”

Before even he could comprehend what he was doing, Will stood and snatched the radio from El’s hand, effectively cutting her off. Mike’s voice crackled, “El?”

“Will? What are you doing?”

“S-Sorry, I’m sorry, just,” Will stammered, stopping and swallowing. Mike was on the other end of the walkie-talkie. Mike was talking. He sounded… _fine_. Why did that bother him? He doesn’t want Mike to be upset, or angry, or sad. So, why did hearing him sound so casual make his skin crawl? Why did his voice still manage to send his heart rocketing into the sky despite puberty dragging it down an entire octave?

El’s expression slowly morphed from annoyance to vague worry. “Will?”

“You’re-you’re going to Dustin’s?” He asked. El nodded. “Is everyone going to be there?” Another nod. He heaved out a breath, “Listen. I… I think I’m going to go look for my mom and Jonathan. Please, just… Don’t tell anyone I’m back, alright?”

“But—”

“Please.”

El bit her lip, brow furrowed as she searched for what to say. Quietly, she said, “Friends don’t lie.”

“Then don’t lie,” Will pleaded. “Just don’t mention me, don’t tell them I was here.” He took a step toward her, feeling frantic. “Act like you never saw me. Just give me some time and I’ll-I’ll…” He deflated, the radio hanging limply in his hand as he stared at the floor. “Let me get my head on straight and figure things out, then I’ll tell them.”

“Are you going to tell Mrs. Byers and Jonathan?” El asked, expression still troubled.

He hesitated before honestly saying, “I don’t know. Eventually, I will, but… I don’t know if it’ll be today.”

El frowned, but didn’t look surprised at his answer. She said, “If you don’t tell them, come back here.” Will nodded, though he could tell that it wasn’t a request. He held out the walkie-talkie hesitantly, feeling like a child being forced to return a toy. El took it and simply held it for a long moment. She looked a bit sad, but spoke into the radio anyway, “Mike?”

“El! Hey, what happened?”

“Sorry, I dropped my radio. Hopper left his shoes out again and I tripped. I’ll meet you halfway and we can go to Dustin’s together.”

“Sounds good. Can’t wait to see you, El.” Will barely held back a flinch at the utter fondness rolling off of Mike’s voice. _Are they…? They can’t be._

Will knew he was proven wrong after taking one look at El’s eyes, softened with affection, as she replied, “You too.”

He felt sick.

After showing him Hopper’s closet and instructing him to only take clothes from the very back so as to not be noticed, El cast Will one last apprehensive look before leaving the cabin. As he rummaged through the messy closet, he tried to map out a plan of action. His mom would be the easiest to find assuming her schedule remained the same. Jonathan would be a bit harder, his jobs and shifts changed just frequently enough to make finding him an issue. _He was always trying so hard to help with money…_

Eventually, Will managed to find an old t-shirt and a large, burgundy sweatshirt. It would be hot under the summer sun, but he didn’t want to be spotted before he was ready. _But when will you be ready?_ He shook his head as he dragged out a pair of shorts that fell down just passed his knees. He changed quickly, shoving the clothes El had given to him under the bed, then adjusted the blankets again to conceal his hiding place. Lifting his hood so that his face was concealed, Will quickly shoved on a pair of large, raggedy sneakers before leaving out the front door. He took a deep breath to try and settle his churning stomach.

_Okay. First, to Melvald’s._

The only sound Will could hear was his heart screaming in his ears as he made the trek to the old convenience store in town. He was terrified of being spotted, but the complete vacancy he found instead was nothing short of horrifying. Sidewalks were empty, only a small handful of cars filled the once overflowing park spots along the edge of the street. There was no intermingling of loud conversations, no hurry of feet other than his own, no random commotion for everyone to collectively pretend not to see. It was just him, alone, walking down a sun bleached sidewalk in the center of an abandoned town.

For a brief moment, the air turned blue. His breath shuddered out in a swirling cloud. The hair on the back of his neck stood on end as all the weight of the world dropped into his gut. What were once cracks in the sidewalk were turning to vines, black and oozing and rotting. There was a growl somewhere behind him, or was it in front of him? A large looming figure in the sky stared down at him once again. There were no eyes, only suffocating shadows. He saw it before, just as it had seen him. He couldn’t run forever, couldn’t hide forever, they both knew it. It was going to get him, it was going to become him. It—

A door opening less than a block away ripped a gasp from his throat. From the entrance of Melvald’s, wearing that same navy button up and fading nametag, hair the same frizzy mess it always was when she’d been thinking too hard, his mom appeared. Will’s eyes stared in utter disbelief, tears gathering as his legs trembled. There she was. She was _right there_. Not a mirage, not a hallucination, not a dream, his mom was there standing in front of him. Other than the dark circles under her eyes and slightly more sunken in cheeks, she looked like the same loving, caring mom who was there for him even when her work schedule tried to swallow her up.

“Joyce! Over here!”

The sudden ringing of another voice sent Will scurrying around the corner, hidden in the small alleyway between the large brick buildings. He peaked out hesitantly. A man, around his mom’s age, sat on the hood of his car a few paces away from Joyce. Next to him were two small, brown bags and a couple cans of Coke. He waved happily to her, beaming when he got a small wave in response. Will couldn’t see his mom’s expression, but he could tell she had a soft smile on her face from the way she said, “Hey, sorry, had someone with a million questions come through.”

“That’s alright,” the man replied. Will felt something inside of him twist when his mom leaned down and gave the stranger a kiss. _What? Who— Who the hell is he? Why is mom— What the hell is going on?_ His thoughts came to a screeching halt when he heard it. The soft, gentle laugh he remembered chiming softly throughout his childhood. He looked again and his mom was smiling, _laughing_.

That was good. His mom deserved happiness. She was always so stressed, so overwhelmed, so anxious. She deserved to have someone that made her happy, especially when she’d just been through a tragedy. But she hadn’t been through a tragedy, Will didn’t die. He was here. He was here and all he had to do was call out to her, yell that he was alive and he was back. It was so simple, it would be solved so easily. So why wasn’t he doing it? Why weren’t his feet moving? Why was he being so _stupid?_

His mom chuckled once more at something the stranger said and Will did the one thing he did best.

He ran away.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! Thank you all so much for the wonderful comments, I never would've imagined that this story would get so much support! I hope I don't disappoint! I apologize for any possible mistakes, I proofread this myself but sometimes I'm a goober and things get through. Thank you for reading!

Heaving breaths struggled out of overworked lungs as Will sat on the old bench, elbows digging into his knees as shaking hands hid a face twisted in turmoil. He didn’t understand. He really and truly couldn’t understand the jumbled mess of emotions that forced him to flee from the woman he’d spent so many cold nights crying for. She’d been right there, less than one hundred feet away from him, and just one kiss and a bout of gentle laughter with a stranger was all it took to drain the elation from his body. But why? Why was he upset? Why didn’t he just _say_ something? _Do_ something?

_C’mon, just… Just get yourself together._ Another harsh exhale tumbled from his cracked lips as Will dragged his hands down his face. _Maybe it’s not too late to go back. That was just her lunch shift. I'll go into the store, tell her… Tell her what?_ Confusion laced misery was interrupted by the persistent clack of plastic heels against cement. Will tensed as whoever it was passed, thankful for the oversized hood that completely concealed his face as his head stayed bowed. He could feel the slight rush of air as the person hurried behind him, a sweet scent drifting back towards him. _Wait, that perfume…_

“Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit…” The mumble carried into his ears, the owner’s voice unmistakable even after so much time has passed.

_Nancy?_

Hesitantly, Will turned his head to stare after her. The eldest Wheeler had cut her hair so that her brown curls floated just above her shoulders, no doubt defying gravity with the help of hairspray. She wore a simple white dress with small, light blue embroidering. A small purse clung to one shoulder while her hand clutched a large paper bag. Will stared after her for a long moment before standing and silently following after her, though he wasn’t sure what exactly compelled him to do so. It could’ve been the fact that El had told him that she’d helped to try and find him, or it could’ve been that he was utterly bewildered by how differently Nancy now carried herself. Before, despite being pretty and popular, her shoulders were often hunched and she usually had a look of annoyed uncertainty polluting her face. Now, she stood tall and took each step as if she were daring someone to get in her way. Even though she was stressed and hurrying somewhere important, it was clear she was handling it with a maturity that she didn’t have before. _A lot can change in two years…_

The bitter thought washed away when he caught sight of an all too familiar Ford LTD sat tiredly ahead. _Jonathan?_ Nancy walked toward the car, but turned suddenly right and escaped his sight through a metal and glass door. Will looked up at the large sign outside. _Hawkins Post? Nancy works for the newspaper? Jonathan must be in there too if his car is here. Is this his new job now?_ A smile slowly grew across his lips as he imagined his brother’s photographs getting printed throughout the town’s newspapers.

A middle-aged woman at one of the front desks turning to face the window as she spoke on the phone startled him into moving again. He walked along to the side of the building facing the familiar green car, tucking himself out of sight by sitting between the two rusting dumpsters. The smell wasn’t pleasant, but it wasn’t anything he couldn’t handle. Will knew that he obviously couldn’t just waltz into Hawkins Press and ask to see his brother, especially if they overheard he was the kid who went missing. For now, he decided, he would simply wait for Jonathan’s workday to be over.

_I hope you haven’t changed too…_

The sound of numerous men chattering as they left work woke Will slowly, hazel eyes blinking a few times in confusion. Nancy’s voice snapped him back to attention, “They’re assholes, Jonathan! Every single one of them.” _I didn’t know Jonathan was friends with Nancy, but I guess they do work together now…_

“I know what they did wasn’t okay, but I’m sure they’ll warm up to you once—”

“Once they realize how great of a journalist I am, I _know_ ,” Nancy huffed as she came into view.

He sat up straighter when he saw his brother approach the driver’s side of the car. His shaggy hair had been cut shorter, giving him a cleaner and more grown-up look. His face looked a bit more tired than Will remembered, but it was probably due to the long workday. He may have changed a bit, but he still looked like the brother he had always been able to depend on for anything. He could do this. This was safe. Jonathan was his rock, the one who always stood up for him whether it was against his father or a wayward bully. Even if Nancy was there, Will knew who she was. She could be trusted. At least, that’s what Will kept saying to try and reason with his electrified nerves. His heart was roaring against his eardrums and his lungs were shriveling in his chest. _It’s now or never._ Will shifted slightly, working up the nerve to stand—

Nancy suddenly sighed and spoke again, “Forget it. Steve invited us over for a movie night tonight. What do you say? He’s got some scary ones.” _Steve? Steve **Harrington**? I thought Jonathan hated him._

The eldest Byers did something Will had never seen him do with anyone besides himself and their mom. He chuckled and answered with a playful tease, “Alright, but you’re sitting in the middle tonight. He nearly dislocated my shoulder trying to hide behind me last time.” The smile he wore was one that few had the opportunity to see, bright and delighted and genuine. It normally took a lot more work to make that smile appear, yet Jonathan wore it so freely now. A sour taste flooded Will’s mouth.

“You big baby,” Nancy laughed. The teenagers opened their doors and got in. The Ford LTD rumbled to life, creaking slightly as it backed out of its parking space and drove off towards the main road.

Will remained hidden, tucked in the shadows as his mind took its time to digest what exactly he’d just seen. _Jonathan’s…really come out of his shell. He looked happy. Both he and mom are happy. That’s good. That’s…_

With a punctured heart and a cloudy mind, Will slunk out of his hiding spot and back towards the woods. He allowed the foliage to conceal him as he trudged back to Hopper’s cabin under a sky dyed pink and orange.

By the time the secluded home came into view, the night had already engulfed the day’s light blue in darkness speckled with stars. The leaves crunched grumpily under Will’s feet as he made his way through the trees, his eyes red and dry from the tears he’d run out of half an hour ago. His bones felt heavy, defeat dragging like chains clasped to his ankles. It was moronic to think that nothing would change after being gone for so long, after it’d been prematurely decided that he was _dead_. He should’ve expected this, expected things to be different and, on some level, he had. He childishly thought that perhaps, if there _were_ any changes, whatever ways his family had changed were the same ways _he_ had changed. On some level, he expected sadness, distress, worry, but all he found was contentment.

_That's good, though. Jonathan’s practically never had friends and mom has always been so stressed out. I’m glad that things have changed for the better. I’m glad that they’re happy._

A wince crossed Will’s face as the coals burning in his gut showed just how much of a lie that last thought that was. He felt repulsed as he reflected on how he felt anything but positive about the smiles and laughs he saw dancing on his loved ones’ faces. That unrestrained joy he had become accidentally privy to was like a knife being driven into his chest. Jonathan was laughing and joking with the new friends he'd made. His mom was dating someone who seemed to treat her kindly and made her content. Two years ago, these were things that would’ve made Will ecstatic. Two years ago, he would’ve bugged Jonathan to tell him what horror movies he watched with Steve and Nancy. Two years ago, he would’ve put on a show of putting on a face of exaggerated disgust while silently celebrating his mom finally having someone to take care of her.

Now, he only felt betrayed.

Up ahead, the cabin door opened and two sets of footsteps ventured outside. Will ducked down behind a large bush, listening quietly. He couldn’t see through the cluster of leaves, but the voices gave away the pair’s identities. The first one sent his heart into the best and worst kind of spiral.

“Is she dead?!” _Mike? Is who dead?_

“No.” _Hopper? What’s—?_

“Did she fall again?”

“No.”

“Does she have cancer?”

“ _No_.”

“Then I don’t understand. What’s wrong with nanna?” _Nanna? Mike’s grandma?_

Will’s questions remained unanswered as the two got into Hopper’s car, the metal doors slamming with an air of finality. He waited for the car to start moving, but it only sat in the dark. His eyebrows furrowed, confusion increasing every moment the stillness continued. Then the door locks popped. Then they popped again. And again, and again, and again.

_What the hell are they doing?_

Two more long minutes passed of nothing happening before the car finally began to make its way toward the main road again. Will stood up, his knees complaining from staying in the awkward crouch for so long. _Did something happen with Mike’s grandma? Why did Hopper sound so angry?_ He shook his head as he climbed the wooden steps up to the porch. He knocked three times before calling, “El? It’s Will.”

There was a pause before the door gently opened. El stood a few feet away, brushing the small drop of blood falling from her nose away with her knuckles. Softly, she asked, “They don’t know, do they?”

Will looked down as he shook his head, stepping into the cabin and shutting the door behind him. He knew El felt the same disappointment he felt in himself and that’s what made his already tight chest ache even more. He asked, “Did, um, did something happen with Mike?”

El’s frown grew. “Hopper said Mrs. Wheeler called. Something happened with Mike’s nanna.” _Well, that explains what Mike was yelling about. Hopper didn’t sound all too concerned though._ “Will?”

“Yeah?”

“Why didn’t you tell them?”

His shoulders slumped as the answer escaped him. How was he supposed to explain that he was too much of a coward to approach his own family? The words lodged themselves firmly in his throat, crawling up his windpipe like a cluster of spiders. Gritting his teeth, Will only shrugged. He startled slightly when a hand rested gently on his shoulder. He looked up hesitantly to find that El’s brown eyes reflected nothing but concern.

“It’ll be okay,” she said.

The genuine honesty encasing her tone almost made Will believe her.

_Cold vines were all around him. His breath was a toxic grey against acidic blue. Lights dimly flickered, struggling to keep electricity pumping through their veins. The sky swirled violet and crimson behind a towering shadow, long head leaning down to scrutinize him. Arms stretching for acres sprouted out of a thin body, holding the creature above the world it had dominated. It was calm, almost smug. It had power, but it wanted more. More bodies, more minds, more to consume._

_He stared up at it with hopeless defeat. It didn’t matter where he hid, that thing would find him. He managed to hurt it once, badly enough that he thought he killed it, but it had grown stronger since then. There was no way he could defeat it now and they both knew it. He could only stand and watch as it loomed closer, wind whistling as black tornadoes joined to compose the figure’s body._

_It lifted one of its massive limbs. It was coming closer, reaching, attacking, devouring—_

A loud knock punched the air from Will’s lungs, eyes shooting open to reveal the underside of El’s bed. _It’s a dream, just a dream._ Above him, he heard El shift before sleepily mumbling, “Yes?”

The sound of the door opening was followed by Hopper saying, “Hey. Time to get up.”

“Okay. I’ll be out in a second.” The door was about to creak close when El spoke up again, “Hopper?”

“Yeah?”

“Is Mike’s nanna okay? Do you know?”

“Yeah, it was a false alarm. Don’t take too long to come out, eggs will get cold.”

After the door closed, the blanket next to Will lifted. Quietly, El said, “Good morning.”

“Morning,” Will mumbled, closing his eyes for a moment in an attempt to slow his rapid pulse.

“Listen,” El whispered, eyes skirting away nervously, “Mike said that he was going to come over today, probably in a little over an hour. I think… I think it would be good if you told him.”

“El—”

“I know you’re scared, but he should know,” she pleaded. “He really misses you and it would make him so happy to know that you’re okay.” Will’s lips twisted as he grimaced, bile starting to sting at the back of his throat. Seeing his conflict, El sighed, “I’m going to go have breakfast with Hopper. Just think about it? Please?”

“…I’ll think about it.”

El offered a grateful smile before dropping the blanket and leaving the room to allow Will to sift through his entangled worries.

The tug and pull within his heart had resulted in a stalemate by the time El had opened the door once more. Will’s hands trembled as the blanket was lifted once more, the light barely grazing his arm since he’d huddled himself to lay pressed against the wall. El spoke quietly, “I couldn’t make anything without Hopper seeing, but I managed to get you an apple.” Will didn’t trust himself to speak. She added, “I can get you more to eat once Hopper leaves.” He refused to look at her. “Will?”

“I don’t know what to do,” his voice pitifully croaked. He tried to blink away the traitorous tears attempting to crawl out. Shaky breaths rattled his ribcage as he failed to get himself to calm down.

He heard some shuffling and the blanket dropped. El laid next to him in the tiny space, their arms brushing together as they both stared up at wooden planks. Mildly, El asked, “What happened yesterday?”

Will choked out, “I found them i-in town. Mom was at Melvald’s and–and there was this guy, and she _kissed_ him. She looked so happy and she was laughing. I… I couldn’t take it and I ran. I was going to go back, at least I thought I was, but then I saw Nancy and I–I don’t know why but I followed her.” He swallowed thickly to try and cover the sobs wanting to strangle his vocal cords. “Jonathan was–they work together. For the newspaper. And they came out and they were laughing, and Jonathan was joking with her and… Him and mom, they’re both just so… _Happy_.”

“Isn’t that good?” El asked, echoing the thought that had been haunting him for hours.

“No. I mean, _yes_ , but—” Will’s hands came up to tangle and tug at his hair. “It doesn’t… I don’t _want_ them to be sad, but I just…” Two fat drops drifted down his cheeks. “I guess I thought that they’d be upset like I was.”

El’s eyebrows scrunched together, “But they _are_ upset.”

“They weren’t when I saw them,” he stated. “They seemed _fine_. They’re different now, El, and if–if my family has changed so much, I can’t even imagine how much the others have changed.”

There was a long stretch of silence as the two laid next to each other.

“You’ve changed too.”

Will blinked, “What?”

“You’ve changed too,” El repeated, caramel-colored eyes peering at him with an underlying melancholy. “You’re not the same as when you went away.”

A surge of defensiveness ran through him as the urge to squirm under such scrutiny built up beneath his skin. He remained silent. Even though he wanted to argue, there wasn’t any point. No matter how much he resisted, it was obvious that El was right. The bright-eyed Will who only thought about fantasy games, playing at the arcade, and hanging out with his friends had vanished a long time ago. Now he was paranoid, and bitter, and lonely, and exhausted, and so far removed from that naïve kid that he may as well be a different person altogether.

But that didn’t make it any easier to accept.

“Do you not want to see Mike today?”

Will’s face contorted, but the telephone’s shrill ring from the kitchen cut off his response. The ring ended as abruptly as it had started, but Hopper’s voice filled the quiet swiftly with the call of, “El, phone!”

“Coming!” She called back, crawling out from the bed. She gave Will a reassuring look before hiding him and making her way out of the room.

Rubbing the tears roughly off of his face, Will sniffled and tried to piece together what was left of his dignity. Though El showed no sign of being bothered by his open display of emotions, the shame still nipped at him sharply. _Get yourself together._ He managed to get himself relaxed enough to pass as ‘okay’ when El pushed the door back open before closing it rather forcefully. She let out a breath before saying, “You can come out, Will. Hopper’s leaving.”

He belly crawled out of his spot with a frown, “Is everything alright?”

“Mike’s… Not coming over.”

“Oh,” Will’s frown grew. “Why? You didn’t have to tell him no, I could’ve left.”

“I didn’t,” El said agitatedly. “He said his nanna was sick.” _Didn’t Hopper just—?_ “I think… He was lying to me.” The gravity in which El said the words made Will shift uncomfortably. She shook her head as if to banish the very thought from her mind. Then, she suddenly said, “I know you don’t believe me when I say Mrs. Byers and Jonathan missed you and maybe you don’t believe that Mike and the others miss you, but… But last year, Hopper said that was the hardest time for all of them. I can’t tell you what they were like then. I wasn’t allowed to leave or talk to anyone until last winter. I know that Mike, Lucas, and Dustin were upset, but I didn’t see the worst of it myself.” She looked sad as she added, “You probably wouldn’t believe me if I did, would you?”

Will shook his head with downcast eyes.

She took a determined step towards Will, “But what if I took you to someone who could? Someone you don’t know? Would you believe them?”

Will shrugged, but that was enough of a ‘yes’ for El.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! Sorry there was a bit of a longer wait for this chapter. School just started up again and my schedule is a bit crazy. I promise I will do my best to update at least once a week or once every other week if I have a lot of work. Thank you again for the nice comments and the kudos, they really make my day! Fair warning, swearing starts coming in full force this chapter and there will probably be more in future ones, too. Thank you for reading!

The walk was mostly silent as El and Will made their way down one of Hawkins’ quiet, suburban streets. Will didn’t have even the slightest clue as to where they were going, but he assumed from how vaguely El had spoken about their destination earlier that asking questions wasn’t going to get him anywhere. He kept his head slightly ducked as his burgundy hood hid his face, thankful that today was cooler so he wouldn’t be boiling too much in his thick sweatshirt. Will peered at El from the corner of his eye, concern twisting his face when she still maintained her usual, stoic expression. Carefully, he asked, “Are you okay?”

“Yes.”

Will stayed quiet, his lips pressed into a thin line. Though he did see El as a friend, the only one he really had at this moment, and he did want to be there for her like she was for him, he was relieved that she wasn’t talking about Mike. Just hearing his voice deeper and older, and knowing that he’d given up on Will just like everyone else agonized him far more than anything the Upside Down could’ve done to him. Mike was his first friend, his first confidante, the first person he felt like completely understood him. Mike was like family yet somehow more and now Will didn’t even know if Mike so much as _thought_ about him nowadays.

Up ahead, the sound of a skateboard hitting asphalt caught Will’s attention. A girl with bright red hair held an expression of pure concentration, ice blue eyes locked onto her feet. She popped the board up in an attempted kick-flip, but missed the landing with a muffled curse. The board rolled passed her as she managed to catch herself before falling. El stopped walking, causing him to do the same, and she watched the board quickly make its way to her. Casually, she stopped it with her foot and stepped down on the nose of it, allowing it to flip up into her hands.

Tucking the skateboard under one arm and grabbing hold of Will’s hand, El marched up to the girl with a stern gaze. She stopped a foot away from the redhead and held out the skateboard with a simple, “Hi.”

“…Hi?” the girl said, her eyebrow quirked as she took the board. Her eyes traveled from El to Will swiftly, her face scrunching up further. “Who’s he?”

“We need your help.”

“Wait, wait, wait,” the redhead said, halting El’s fumbled explanation. She pointed at him. “ _You’re_ Will? But, Lucas and Dustin said you were dead.”

Will winced, but El cut back in, “They _thought_ he was, but I found him. Two days ago. He’s been… Lost.”

“Lost? For over a year with no sightings of him?”

“Max—”

“Where did you go? Were you trying to run away or something?” Max asked, skepticism dripping from her voice.

“It’s kind of hard to explain,” Will said, ducking his head. “Besides, you… Probably wouldn’t believe me if I told you.”

“Try me,” Max challenged.

When Will remained quiet, El spoke up, “Do you remember the lab that closed last year?”

“Yeah?” Max’s head tilted. “It’s the one you came from, right?”

El nodded. “We… Didn’t tell you everything about what happened.” She shifted guiltily, shoulders hunching slightly. “Remember how I told you the bad men made me do different tests?” Max nodded. “On the night I left, during one of the tests, I saw… Something.” El shifted again. “I saw a monster.”

“A monster?”

“Yes and it… It came from the Upside Down. This place that’s like here but really cold and dark. We couldn’t find Will because he wasn’t _here_ anymore. He was somewhere no one could get to him.”

“But, they found his body in the quarry, didn’t they?”

“That wasn’t really him,” El insisted, obviously struggling to try for how to explain. “The lab pretended he died so no one would look into anything.” Will’s hands gripped the comforter below him tightly. “He was still alive, though. Mike said he was in an alternate dimension and there was a gate to it under the lab—”

Max scoffed, “An alternate dimension? Are you serious?”

“Yes! He was there and he couldn’t get out, but two days ago I found him in the woods—”

“I’m sorry, but you seriously expect me to believe that _he_ ,” Max jabbed a finger in his direction, “disappeared two years ago and has been wandering around in an alternate dimension filled with ‘monsters’, and just now popped up like a daisy in spring outside your cabin perfectly fine?”

“Max—”

“And not _only_ that, but this lab that you’ve escaped from managed to make a gateway into an _alternate dimension_ and somehow _no one found out about it_? I mean, seriously, that’s—”

“You know that she can move things with her mind,” Will cut in, anxiety running its nails down his spine, his body shaking though he felt like he was overheating. “You know that she escaped from a lab when she was twelve. Is it really so hard to believe that maybe I got lost in an alternate dimension when you have a girl with superpowers sitting _right in front of you_?” His heart was pounding and his breathing was becoming uneven and he didn't even know why, but he couldn’t stop. “You think we don’t know that this sounds like complete and utter bullshit? I don’t blame you for not believing us!” His words were fast and chaotic. “But, I also know that I went missing in 1983 and now it’s 1985 and I’m back, but everyone thinks I’m dead and maybe I _should be_ , but I’m not, but no one cares because they gave up and now El brought me here so you could convince me that my friends missed me, but I don’t even know if that matters to me anymore because they’ve probably changed even more than my family has and it really fucking sucks so please just believe us when we tell you this is the truth because we have no reason to lie about _any of this shit_!”

The light hanging above Max’s bedside table shattered with a hard pop and silence permeated the space.

His hands trembled violently as he struggled to get himself back under control. He could feel warmth beginning to build on his upper lip and closed his eyes, shame and fear piercing him like knives. There was some rustling and then someone was touching him. Hazel eyes slowly opened to see El looking at him with a pained, sorrowful expression as she held a tissue to his bloody nose. He nodded gratefully and gently took the tissue, pinching his nose as he leaned his head forward. Softly, he said, “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be,” Max replied after a tense moment. Her eyes were wide and she looked just about ready to bolt, but relaxed her stance once she saw the defeated slump of his shoulders. She pursed her lips before continuing, “Well, after that, it’s kind of hard _not_ to believe you.” She stared curiously at him, eyes raking over his face. “So… You have powers? Like she does?”

“I don’t know if they’re exactly like hers, but… Yeah.”

“Have you always had them?” El asked, shock evident in her tone.

Will shook his head, “They started after I ended up in the Upside Down. I could… Make lights flash, sometimes I got things to move. I got better at it over time, but I can only do big things when I, uh, freak out or get really upset.” He cleaned away the blood with a few more wipes, the rush of crimson having stopped as soon as it had started. “It feels weird, being able to use them here. It’s also… Harder. In a way. Like being here kind of blocks them.”

“They didn’t look blocked to me,” Max said, crossing her arms. A stormy look crossed her face. She then looked to El, “Why didn’t any of you tell me?”

El shrugged, “Mike told me not to talk about it. He didn’t want any of us to talk about it.”

Max sighed, “Figures. It took him a long time just to get him to say a full sentence to me without looking like he was going to pop a blood vessel.”

Will looked up at that, “What do you mean?”

“Mike _hated_ me at first,” Max said with a small smirk. “I moved here in October and, apparently, I beat Dustin’s top score in Dig Dug. They started stalking me after that, staring at me in class and following me around. Mike probably only did it since Lucas and Dustin did. Anyway, we were in this weird sort of thing where I was sort of their friend and sort of not. Mike said I wasn’t in the ‘party’ and they were all so secretive all the time. But… I don’t know, I guess over time we warmed up to each other. He was better after El came back. All of them sort of were.”

She walked over and sat down next to Will on the bed. She elaborated, “Mike didn’t just seem to hate me. He acted like he hated the world. He only talked to Lucas and Dustin, but even then he would get all snappy. He and Lucas got into fights a lot, but they never seemed like they were really angry at each other. They just seemed angry in general, even though Lucas was better at hiding it. I found out about you during Halloween. There was this asshole dressed up like a zombie telling everyone that he was you.” Will glowered, but wasn’t entirely surprised. Hawkins’ morality wasn’t something he’d missed in the slightest. “Mike just lost it, it took two adults to pull him off and another two to hold back Lucas and Dustin. He ran home after that. It took a while, but Dustin eventually told me who you were. He and Lucas told me about how they found your body in the quarry.” Max’s own eyes started getting misty. “They told me how much they cared about you, said that you were one of the greatest friends a person could have.” She looked at Will earnestly. “I don’t have any idea what you’ve gone through, but don’t for a second think that your friends didn’t miss you more than anything in the world.”

Hazel eyes looked away from ice blue in favor of staring down at the carpet. Once again, his emotions were caught in a ceaseless tug of war. While El had been right, hearing a neutral party telling him that his friends _had_ missed him gave his heart a warm lift, something sour settled in his stomach at hearing that none of them would talk about him. That they lied about what happened to him. That _Mike_ insisted that nobody talk about what had happened to him. As if now that he was gone, he was nothing more than a touchy subject that they could ignore if they wanted to. He was no longer a person, but a concept that didn’t need to be discussed unless necessary.

“Thank you for telling me that,” He mumbled.

Max crossed her arms once more and said, “There’s still something I don’t understand. If you’re so concerned about your friends missing you, why didn’t you just go see them yourself? Why did you come to me?”

Will only shrugged, his silence his last layer of protection. El spoke up instead, “Well, we _were_ going to tell Mike today when he came over, but…”

“But?” Max prompted.

“He called and said he couldn’t because of his grandma. Hopper said his grandma was fine, he got a false alarm yesterday, but Mike said the false alarm was actually real. I heard his mom asking what happened with grandma, like she didn’t know, and he told her to hang up. Then he said he missed me and, then he just… Hung up.”

Max stood up from the bed. “He’s a piece of shit.”

“What?” Both El and Will asked.

“Oh come on!” Max threw her arms up in exasperation. “Mike doesn’t have jack-shit to do today and his grandma obviously isn’t sick! I guarantee you, he and Lucas are playing Atari right now.”

“But, friends don’t lie,” El said, the phrase said like a sacred mantra.

“Yeah, well, _boyfriends_ lie. All. The. Time,” she responded, looking utterly serious. A cold jab struck Will’s heart at the word, at the acknowledgement of what Mike was. Mike was El’s _boyfriend_ and there was nothing Will could do about it. Max clapped her hands together decisively, “If he’s going to treat you like garbage, then you’re going to treat him like garbage. As far as you’re concerned, he doesn’t exist.”

“Doesn’t exist?”

“Yeah. Give him a taste of his own medicine.”

El’s brow furrowed as her expression morphed into one of determination, “Give him the medicine.”

“Mm-hm,” Max nodded. “And if he doesn’t come clean, if he doesn’t _explain_ himself, _dump his ass_.” Will stared curiously between the two girls, eyes flickering between the two as his lips were downturned in confusion. Hesitantly, El nodded at Max’s words and the redhead sprung back up. “Anyway, I say it’s about time you had a break from ‘the party’ and,” she looked at Will being absolutely swallowed by Hopper’s oversized hoodie, “you could do with some new clothes. Both of you could, really.”

“What’s wrong with our clothes?” El asked.

Max smiled, “Clothes are a way to show who you are, El. Right now, all I’m seeing is Hopper. I want to see _El_.” She tossed a teasing smirk to Will. “And you, mister, just look homeless.” Will quirked an eyebrow and cast a glance down at himself. His nose crinkled when he begrudgingly felt himself agree with her. Still, there was just one problem.

“Neither of us have any money. How are we going to buy new clothes?” Will asked.

Another smirk and the tomboy left the room. A moment passed and she came trotting back, proudly holding a grey credit card between her fingers. She said, “What my step-dad doesn’t know won’t hurt him, my mom uses his card for shopping all the time. Now, come on, we’re going to the mall.”

Will blinked in bewilderment as El hopped off the bed. He slowly stood to follow the two girls, frowning slightly.

_Hawkins doesn’t have a mall…_


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, everyone. First, I'd like to apologize for how long it took for this chapter to come out. Went through some rough stuff and just wasn't really able to write. Thank you so, so much to everyone for their kind comments. They really motivate me and helped bring me back to writing after struggling. I hope everyone enjoys this chapter. I'm sorry for any spelling mistakes, I proofread this myself and I will do my best to update semi-regularly. Thank you for reading.

Crowded against the window of the packed bus, Will’s eyes stared unseeing at the blurred lines of passing trees. He’d tuned out of Max and El’s chatter as the eerie feeling of déjà vu continued to drag its nails across his heart. There was something familiar about the path the bus was taking to the mall, the curving of the road and the way the small businesses disappeared as they were carried further into what was once the rural side of town. Whatever significance this area had to him, it made him want to squirm.

Suddenly, he caught sight of a white, towering sign. The word _STARCOURT_ was written in large, colorful letters. Just behind it laid an overflowing parking lot leading to a large building. It was then that Will’s heart stuttered. In that moment, he couldn’t hear the happy voices rambling around him. His vision zeroed in on the building, the filter in his mind comparing the bright image he saw now to the desolate picture he had seen days ago. Though it was devoid of vines and decay, it was undoubtedly the same place from which he’d escaped his never ending nightmare.

_This is where the gate is…_

The bus lurched and groaned as it came to a stop in front of the mall’s entrance, its door swinging limply open as everyone began to pile out. A hand persistently nudging at Will’s side tugged him back to reality, El staring at him curiously, “Are you coming?”

“El—”

“Guys, let’s go, the bus is waiting on you,” Max called, already halfway to the front.

Will frowned, but allowed himself to be tugged along as the trio exited the bus. Both he and El stared apprehensively at the mall. Max grinned at the pair, “So? What do you think?” The silence that answered her caused her grin to shrink. “What’s wrong?”

“Too many people, against the rules,” El supplied vaguely. Will’s tongue felt weighed down by the knowledge only he possessed about the building, the surrounding crowd further suffocating his voice.

“Seriously?” Max asked, a smirk slowly growing. “You both have _superpowers_. What’s the worst that could happened?”

El smiled back and followed Max towards the entrance, pulling a still quiet Will behind her. Neither girl noticed the harsh wince he gave at Max’s question.

The inside of the enormous building was even more busy and vibrant than the outside. Neon signs flashed proudly, beckoning patrons into shiny stores filled with items entirely overpriced yet inescapably alluring. It was odd, seeing something so lively and whimsical in Hawkins. It almost made Will believe the three of them had stepped into yet _another_ alternate dimension.

He blinked out of his reverie when Max asked the question, “So, what should we do first?”

El simply stared in wonder at the orderly chaos around her, everyone moving like tides in and out of the entrances of stores as advertisements dragged customers’ eyes every which way. Max chuckled and said, “You’ve never been shopping before have you?” Wide brown eyes continued to analyze in childish wonder. The redhead looked to Will. “What about you? Anywhere you want to go first?”

Will’s brow furrowed. Now wasn’t the time to tell them about what lurked beneath the mall, not when there was no telling who exactly could overhear. The more inconspicuous he and his friends remained, the better. He answered honestly, “I don’t know. It’s been, uh…It’s been a long time.”

Max’s eyes grew a bit sadder at his admission, but the soft look was quickly covered up as she beamed and said, “Well, I guess that just means that we’ll have to try everything.” Practically bouncing between the two unusual teens, Max looped her arms through El’s and Will’s, and excitedly led the way towards a crimson paneled store. Will’s anxious grimace went unnoticed.

“I look stupid, don’t I?”

“No, you don’t,” Max huffed, rolling her eyes at the slight pout on Will’s face. “It looks cool.”

Will scrutinized himself in the mirror, hazel eyes narrowing as he mentally criticized the clothes on his scrawny frame. The music, constant flow of people, and endless material goods were already overwhelming for a fragile mind just escaping almost two years of being stuck in a wasteland of death, but actually having new clothes was something not even pre-Upside Down Will ever really had. He’d grown up with hand-me-downs and clothes from the local Goodwill. His skin was used to the rough jostle of worn fabric against it, threads coming loose and colors dimmed. These clothes he wore now, though, were bright and pristine.

He wore a lavender t-shirt that had a thick, neon yellow stripe wrapping around the chest with a thinner one just below it. Over that, a large black over-shirt with short sleeves rested comfortably on his shoulders, buttons left open. White outlines of geometric shapes cut through the black. A pair of dark, acid washed jeans hugged his hips nicely, a couple stylish tears adorning each knee.

It was odd how he looked the same yet so entirely different with just one outfit. His sharper jaw and thinner cheeks hammered in the fact that was just barely managing to break through the walls of his skull. He was _older_. The clothes were just one more uncomfortable jab at the barrier that was carefully built around his delicate grasp of the current reality. What was even more jarring was just how much Will liked it.

Behind him, Max asked, “El, have you figured out what you want to try on yet?” When silence met her, Will turned around in curiosity. El was staring up at a mannequin with a pinched brow and pursed lips. Max spoke up again, “El?”

“How do I know?”

“Huh?” Will said, tilting his head.

“How do I know what I like?” El elaborated, her expression growing more troubled by the minute.

Max walked up to stand next to her, staring up at the clothes draped across the model. She said, “Well, you just try things on until you find something that feels like you.”

El blinked, “Like me?”

“Yeah,” Max nodded with a smile. “Not Hopper, not Mike, _you_.”

The smile that slowly spread across El’s face seemed to brighten the entire store and some of Will’s fear vanished in the light.

If there was one thing that Will was certain he wouldn’t enjoy, it was going shoe shopping. He vividly remembered Mike’s endless whining about how Nancy could spend literal hours doing nothing but trying on various high heels only to decide that she wanted to look at the flats instead. Though he’d probably be smacked if his companions knew, Will felt a bit wary entering the long isles of footwear with two girls.

No one was more surprised than him to find that a half an hour in to browsing, he was sporting a wide grin as he helped El balance in a pair of far too tall wedges. He slowly stepped back and had to bite back a snort at the way the girl’s knees wobbled like a newborn giraffe. She caught sight of his amusement and glowered, shuffling forward with comical fury. Will practically giggled, inching backwards in a mocking effort to evade her.

His eyes widened when he saw El crouch slightly with a look of determination.

“El, no—!”

Will’s plea fell on deaf ears as he was promptly hit with a flying tackle from El. Max’s face turned the same shade as her fiery hair as she cackled at the two piled on the floor like limp ragdolls.

“But why?”

“Will, I’m sorry, but you look like Shaggy’s traumatized twin. You need a haircut.”

“You’re exaggerating.”

“What’s a ‘Shaggy’?”

Max hit El with a deadpan look for a long moment before turning back to Will. “Listen, Will. This is about finding the new you as much as it is about finding El.”

_But what if I don’t want to find a new me?_

Shaking his head, Will replied, “I don’t understand why the new me needs a haircut.”

“Because the current me said so,” Max retorted and promptly began to tug him into the hair salon. “Trust me, this’ll help you feel better.”

The teen let out a suffering sigh before mumbling, “Fine.”

“And the new you will _not_ have a bowl-cut.”

El followed after her friends with a puzzled stare.

“Alright! Smile big for the camera now!”

The trio had their heads stacked with goofy grins, Will on the bottom, El in the middle, and Max on top. They all donned wild hats with feathers and fluff along with abhorrently mustard, suit jackets. Cartoonish jewelry hung from all of their necks and wrists, completing the disaster. The flash of the camera went off and Will’s heart ached with the longing to see his brother on the other side of the photoshoot.

Just as he felt his smile beginning to dip, El was tugging him hurriedly back to the changing room. Max was already digging through the countless costumes, ice blue eyes searching tirelessly for the perfect clash of colors. Will’s newly cut hair was ruffled slightly as he slid off his hat. The oak-colored strands formed a small wave of bangs that swept to the right on his forehead, the top portion of hair left a medium length while the rest was short.

El was beaming when she looked at him, saying, “This is amazing.”

Will couldn’t help but smile back, “Yeah, it is.”

For the first time in almost two years, the thing that was making Will Byers' head feel light wasn’t shock and horror. It was joy.

“El! Will! Bedazzled jean jackets or feather dresses?”

“I have limits, Max!”

The trio huddled together behind the pillar, eyes all locked onto a gaggle of gossiping girls. Will could recognize most of them even with the evolution their bodies had gone under in time. They all held smoothies in their hands and their degrading comments about fellow classmates could be heard clearly. The one at the center laughed and Will recognized the demeaning snicker to be the same one that would sound when a high heeled foot would stick out to trip Dustin in the halls.

El’s eyes narrowed, focus sharp and unwavering. Will could practically feel the crackle in the air as her mind worked, a strange itch rubbing at the back of his brain as she jerked her head and made the girl’s cup explode orange slush all over the friend group. He couldn’t dwell on the odd feelings as shrieks rang out through the food court and he joined his friends in a gleeful escape.

Bags swung cheerfully in their hands as the three teens continued to stroll through the mall. Will was donning his new outfit from the Gap, now complete with new white sneakers with yellow highlights and a mature haircut. El practically danced along, new black dress with bright patterns swaying along with her curly hair. Max hummed contently, large, red-rimmed shades obscuring her carefree gaze.

The redhead paused, “Hey, you guys want ice cream?”

El and Will nodded, both following her dutifully to a small little shop on the outer rim of the food court. A familiar voice made ice grow in Will’s veins, his haze of happiness dispersed with a monotone, “Ahoy, maties. Can I take your order?”

“Will?”

The boy blinked and saw the two girls staring at him in mind concern. He swallowed thickly despite all moisture leaving his mouth. Up ahead, he could see the bored face of one Steve Harrington grabbing two waffle cones with the enthusiasm of a comatose bull. Steve Harrington, king of the high school, Nancy’s asshole boyfriend, Jonathan’s _friend_. His hands trembled slightly at his side, but he tried to maintain nonchalance as he said, “I’m going to wait by the fountain if that’s alright. It looks, uh… Crowded over there.”

Max squinted at him then stared over at the ice cream shop. The flow of traffic was no different from that of the fountain. She turned back to Will, “For being a member of the party, you seem to love breaking the ‘no lying’ rule.” Will had the decency to look ashamed, gaze dropping to the floor. Max held her hard stare for a moment before taking pity on him, “If you’re worried about Harrington, all you had to do is say so. El and I will be right back.”

El shot him a reassuring smile as the two girls went on ahead. Although he didn’t feel the energy to grin back, he felt relief at his friends’ understanding all the same. Keeping his head down and shoulders hunched, Will trudged himself to the large fountain that babbled continuously in the center of the large space.

Settling on the cold, faux marble, he let out a heavy breath. Today had been the best day he’d had since he’d disappeared that cold, November day. A melancholy weight began to settle on his lungs as his mind drifted to his friends. Was he being selfish? It wasn’t as if Will _never_ wanted to see them again, there wasn’t a day that went by when he didn’t miss them. He just couldn’t guarantee that he’d be able to handle seeing them flourish in his absence like the rest of the world seemed to be doing.

Was Max right? Was Mike playing Atari with Lucas right now? Was Dustin there too? Were they fighting? Laughing? Sad? Happy? Did they wish he was there? Did _he_ wish he was there?

Will leaned forward and planted his elbows on his knees, burying his face in his hands. The more questions that tumbled into his head, the harder the red hot spike of a migraine dug into the tender space behind his eyes. It was nauseating acknowledging it, but the truth was inescapable.

Will was far more lost in Hawkins than he ever was in the Upside Down.

The sunlight glared down on Will as he followed Max and El out of Starcourt. He licked absentmindedly at his ice cream, the girls having chosen cookie dough topped with chocolate chips for him. He traced the cracks in the sidewalk as he went, not paying much mind to the friends before him trading their frozen treats. While he was grateful to both of them and did enjoy himself far more than he’d expected, exhaustion tugged at every cell in his body. All he wanted was to curl up in his little makeshift hideout beneath El’s bed and sleep his clustered emotions away.

And that was when he heard it.

“That’s ridiculous. Can’t I just mow old man Brigby's lawn?”

“Yeah, but, it’s not even that much money.”

His heart was in his throat, his blood roaring like an overflowing river pummeling his eardrums. It was that voice again, but there was another one. Another one that sounded so familiar and yet completely and utterly _wrong_. His muscles were burning, aching to run fast and far just so he could erase this horrid coincidence from his mind.

_They’re here. Why are they here? Why did Mike lie? Why is this happening?_

Will’s eyes shifted traitorously, giving him the perfect view of two ghosts from his past.

There, less that fifty feet away, were Mike and Lucas. Two of his closest friends in the entire world, one of whom dug his way deeper into his heart than most would accept. Both of them had grown taller, Lucas a good inch or so above Will and Mike seeming as though he’d have to make an effort to hunch down to look the youngest Byers in the eye. They were lanky and awkward and _teenagers_ , and Will’s chest constricted because they were grabbing their bikes and getting ready to go home as if it were any other day.

Because it _was_ just any other day. Just any other day where they hung out and went on adventures while believing that Will Byers laid cold and decaying in hell.

Will dropped his cone and, by the time cookie dough had splattered across the pavement, he was already on board the bus.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! Sorry so much again for the long wait! I've been very busy, but your kind words and support have really kept me going. Thank you to everyone for being so kind, I'm glad I'm able to make something that people can enjoy! Apologies for any spelling mistakes or errors, I proofread myself. Please enjoy and thank you for reading!

Trembling against the cold metal of the bus’s side, the window slightly ajar above Will allowed the voices from outside to invade the air. Though the words were indistinguishable, the sharp melody of Max, annoyed crackle of Mike, and stern lilt of El just managed to grace the cowering boy’s ears. Logically, there was little chance that the two had seen Will. They had their backs to him and were enthralled in a conversation when he’d bolted away from them. From their tones, it was obvious that they had been walking the thin line between bantering and bickering.

His heart lurched with the bus as more people gathered on board.

Sweaty hands rubbed on his brand new jeans, the expensive fabric heating up under the rough friction of nerve-driven panic. Tears burned his eyes and muddied his vision, shame a thick syrup in his throat. So many days he’d wanted to see them, so many times he lied in the cold and dark wishing to see the faces of his best friends just one more time. They were right there, just like Jonathan was right there, just like mom was right there.

Will could practically hear his father’s disgusted sneer at his weakness.

More people piled onto the bus and, for a brief moment, Will wondered if he’d be going back alone. The somber speculation was dispelled as a sudden weight dropped down into the seat next to him, followed by a third squishing him against the wall. He blinked at El and Max, the two giggling as they determinedly crammed into the seat.

“I really don’t think these seats were made for three people,” Will commented, though his voice was quiet and bloodied with insecurity.

Max grinned, “You missed El telling Wheeler off. It was _awesome_.”

El seemed to preen under the praise, eyes shining with mirth as she said, “I dumped his ass.”

Will didn’t attempt to hide his confusion as Max laughed and high fived her friend, the two girls continuing to munch on their ice cream. _Aren’t people supposed to be sad after a break up? She seems happy about it. I know he lied today, but…_ He squirmed uncomfortably as he tried in vain to squash the traitorous feeling of joy at the news.

“Are you okay?” Max asked, leaning forward to peer at Will from around El. “I’ve never seen someone move so fast.”

“I’m fine,” Will said, shaking his head. Self-hatred coiled like a snake in his stomach and its venom stung him with comments of his cowardice. He forced a small smile, “Sorry for wasting the ice cream.”

“Do you want mine?” El offered, holding out her half-finished cone.

“No, thanks. I’m not hungry,” Will answered. He crossed his arms and leaned his head against the sun-heated window, ignoring the concerned stares of his companions.

The bus let out a low growl as it began to lumber forward, trudging its way out of the overflowing parking and back onto the winding road. As tree littered fields and speckles of small homes rushed passed in a blur of colors, regret seeped into his chest and made his lungs heavier with each passing moment. He wanted desperately to go back and throw himself at his friends, tell them how much he missed them and how happy he was to finally see them, though they look so different now. It was a nice fantasy, but Will knew that even if he could go back, he would still flee without a backward glance. For Mike Wheeler and Lucas Sinclair, Will Byers died in 1983.

Will was starting to wonder if perhaps that was true after all.

The day passed quickly under the haze of summer heat and the frenzied wandering all about the small town of Hawkins. Now, the trio was congregated back in El’s bedroom. The peaceful chime of Angel by Madonna poured out of the peach colored radio on the dresser. Max danced across the carpet, a hairbrush her choice of microphone as she parroted the lyrics. El bounced along to the song as she flipped through magazines, lightly jostling Will who laid with his eyes closed, sprawled on the bed beside her.

Suddenly, Will heard Max pause and chuckle, “Oh, you found Ralph Macchio.”

“Macchio?” El asked playfully.

“Yeah, he’s the Karate Kid. Hiyah!” Max swung her arm down in a mock chop, causing El to giggle.

Will frowned, “The Karate Kid?”

Max blinked, “Yeah, haven’t you—” She stopped herself short as realization made her ice-colored eyes widen. She looked away sheepishly. “It’s a movie. It came out last June.”

“Oh,” Will breathed, directing his gaze back up to the ceiling. There was a heavy silence in the room then, the unspoken significance of what Max said hanging in the air. _It came out last June. It came out when you were still gone. It came out while you were still dead._ The teen shook his head. His obsession over his own faux death was starting to make him truly unsettled. It was a mistake, a logical hypothesis that happened to be proven false. Who would have honestly expected meek, frail Will to survive in a dimension full of bloodthirsty monsters? Still, it didn’t make the bitter truth any easier to swallow. It also didn’t make the macabre ponderings that had begun probing his brain any easier to ignore.

“I bet Macchio’s an amazing kisser.”

The cough that escaped Will sounded as though Max had punched him directly in the gut. While he was thankful for the change in subject, what the subject had changed _to_ left much to be desired. El’s eyebrows crinkled in amusement.

Max laughed at Will’s flustered expression. She teased, “The Upside Down can’t bring you to your knees, but talking about kissing boys does?”

He didn’t dignify her with a response, opting instead to throw an arm over his face to block out the ribbing. El asked, “Why does it bother you?”

“Probably since he’s a guy,” Max answered for him. “The thought of kissing another guy is always so repulsive to them.”

Will’s heart lurched. _The thought of kissing another guy is always so repulsive to them. Repulsive. It’s gross. It’s not right._ How he thought and how he felt, it was wrong. The deeply drilled belief made his body stiffen and jaw clench, though he didn’t speak. The tension was once again palpable. 

He could feel eyes on him, could practically hear the wheels turning in the girls’ heads. He doubted El would be able to decipher his behavior with how much she was still learning about social cues, but Max was startlingly perceptive. He needed to say something, tell them that Max was right. He thought liking another guy was gross. He just needed to say it, just needed to _lie_ —

“It’s not, though,” the redhead cut in. Will froze before slowly lowering his arm, staring at Max uncomprehendingly. She spoke again, “It’s not gross. Most guys are just stupid.”

The words were like salve over a burn, unfamiliar and stinging but soothing to the part of himself that he didn’t wish to acknowledge quite yet. Will gave a small nod and Max offered a kind grin in return.

Her expression turned playful once more as her attention went back to the silently observing El. She asked, “So, is Mike a good kisser?”

Will felt interest and envy spark within his chest.

“I don’t know,” El said honestly. “He’s my first boyfriend.”

Max hummed, “Ex-boyfriend.” El’s smile shrunk slightly, her eyes trailing to the bed. Will sat up with a sympathetic look. The redhead laid a hand on El’s shoulder, “Hey, don’t worry about, okay? He’ll come crawling back to you in no time begging for forgiveness. I guarantee you, he and Lucas are wallowing in self-pity as we speak.”

El giggled as Max’s performance became more theatrical. Will felt himself starting to smile as well despite the conflict in his heart. Max jutted out her lip in an overdramatic pout and she comically whimpered, “ _Oooh, I hope they take us back_.” The three chuckled at the image. Max commented, “God, what I wouldn’t give to see their stupid faces.”

A thoughtful, almost mischievous look crossed over El’s face. Will asked, “What is it?”

El stood from the bed and went to her dresser, turning the dial of her radio until the music was swallowed by static. Will watched in confusion as El grabbed what appeared to be a blindfold from one of her drawers and sat down on the floor.

“What are you doing?” he asked.

“I’m going to see what their ‘stupid faces’ look like,” El answered, smiling when she saw Max beam. Will still held a look of confusion, so she elaborated, “When I close my eyes and focus on someone, I go into a place where I can see what they’re doing.”

“So, you can spy on people?” He asked, though not unkindly.

“Spy?”

“You can watch people, without them knowing?”

El nodded. Max looked at Will, “Can you do that?”

Will thought for a moment, then shrugged. “I have no idea. I mean, I haven’t tried doing something like that before.”

“Do you want to?” El asked.

“Huh?”

“Do you want to try? I can help.”

“You should!” Max chirped. “You might have powers you don’t even know about.”

After a brief moment of hesitation, Will nodded and sat down on the floor beside El. El opened one of her drawers and pulled out another piece of fabric, this one bright white. She held it out to Will, “Put this on to cover your eyes.”

He took the blindfold and tied it around his head, his nerves already beginning to nip at him. He could hear Max shifting on the bed, excitedly commenting, “This is so cool, this is going to be awesome!”

“Max.”

“Sorry, shutting up.”

Will jumped slightly when he felt a pair of hands grab his and give a firm squeeze. El’s voice comforted him, “Just relax. Focus on Mike and Lucas. Think about their faces, their voices. Picture them clearly and _look_.”

Gradually, El’s encouragement and Max’s restless shifting fizzled out along with the static. Breathing deeply, Will allowed himself to become lost in the endless ink of nothingness.

_It was dark._

_There was a building._

_Something wasn’t right, something was wrong._

_This wasn’t the Upside Down, but that eroding chill hung in the air._

_Something was hiding._

_No, that **thing** was hiding. _

_How was it here?_

_It shouldn’t be, couldn’t be._

_There was a rat._

_It was shaking, jerking, screeching._

_Pain, there was so much pain._

_More rats, more hurt, more shaking._

_Melting._

_Bones._

_Hurt._

_Shadows._

_Decay._

_There’s an army._

_An army of one._

_Soon two._

_Growing._

_It’s growing._

_He’s growing._

_Dead rats._

_Dead bodies._

_Dead minds._

_It’s coming._

_It’s here._

_It’s too late._

_It knows._

_He knows._

“What? What happened?”

The sound of El taking off her blindfold. Her and Max giggling. Static from the radio, warmth from the cabin, gentle light from the lamp. Trembling hands pulled the cloth away from Will’s eyes. The giggling stopped. A car pulled up outside. Angry footsteps stomped into the cabin. Will dove under the bed and covered himself, the girls grabbed their magazines and pretended to be busy.

Hopper, El, and Max’s voices sounded as though they were submerged in water against Will’s ears.

“—three!”

“Do you knock? Geez!”

“Yeah, geez!”

“O-Oh, I’m sorry, I thought that, uh—”

“Mike’s not here.”

“Max wanted to have a sleepover… Is that okay?”

“…Yeah. Yeah, _yeah_. Your, uh, parents’ know about…?”

“Yup.”

“Yeah, that’s cool. That-That’s really cool.”

A pause. Will’s heart thunders.

“…Did you need something?”

“No, no, I’ll leave. I’ll just, uh, I’ll leave you… To it. Yeah.”

The bedroom door shut with a resounding thunk. A few moments later, the sound of late night talk shows could be heard faintly outside. There was movement in the room, twin shadows appearing in front of his blanket curtain.

“Will? Are you okay?”

A half choked retch is all the girls received in reply.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, everyone! Once again, I'm sorry for the extremely late update. Life is a bit rough at the moment and school work is wild, but I'm always so happy to see the kind comments you all leave. It really motivates me and makes me smile! Thank you for reading and for your sweet words. Sorry for any mistakes, I proofread to the best of my ability but sometimes things slip through. I hope you're all happy, healthy, and staying safe!

“Will? Will, what happened? What did you see?”

The teen shuddered in his cramped nest of blankets beneath the bed, swallowing roughly to fight back the nausea climbing up his throat. He rubbed his arms harshly, childish and desperate in his attempt to rid himself of the ghastly cold. The creature that once haunted him with its body of shadows was here and he knew it would stay until it took him. Until it took everyone.

A hand touching his shoulder startled a gasp out of him.

“Will?”

Slowly, Will turned his head and looked at the two girls staring at him with concern. There was a long moment of heavy silence as hazel eyes that appeared far older than fourteen gazed at El and Max. Finally, Will croaked, “I saw… Something bad.”

“Bad how?” Max asked, laying down on her stomach so that she was eye level with the terrified boy.

“There was something… Something from the Upside Down,” Will said, shifting so that he was fully facing the two. “It looked like it was here, somewhere in Hawkins.”

“The Demogorgan?” El guessed, her expression like stone.

“No, it’s… This is different,” Will shook his head. His hands kneaded at the blankets below him as he thought. “It’s bigger and smarter… It can control things.”

“What kind of things?”

“Living things. I remember there was more than one Demogorgan, but they weren’t fully grown. It controlled them, like a queen bee controls a hive,” Will swallowed thickly. “Or an army.”

“So, the Demogorgan that came here before, was it controlled by that thing too?” Max asked.

“I don’t know… I don’t think all of them were.”

“How could you tell?” El wondered, tilting her head. “How did you know which ones were or weren’t?”

“There wasn’t really a way to know for sure,” Will said, expression pinched. “But there was one that… It sounds weird but, it reminded me of my dog.”

“Your dog?” Max incredulously repeated. “Does your dog walk on two legs and open its face like a demented Venus flytrap?” Both Will and El simple stared. The redhead shrugged, “Lucas went into a lot of detail.”

Slowly, Will shook his head, “Like I said, there were other Demogorgans that weren’t fully grown. They go through stages, like a frog. They start out like a slug, that’s how I found Chester, and then they grow into what look like dogs. The final stage is walking on two legs.”

“Wait, wait. Chester?”

“That’s what I called him, the Demogorgan. It… He was just like my dog, so I just called him—”

“Dude, it’s fine,” Max cut off Will’s frantic defense. “I’m not judging your choice of monster names.”

“He wasn’t a monster, though,” Will said softly. “He was my friend, the only one I had.”

Silence settled like a thick blanket over the room, just short of suffocating. El put her hand on Will’s, her gaze holding melancholic sympathy. Gently, she asked, “What happened to him?”

“There was something happening, something at the lab,” Will explained, voice shaking. “All the Demogorgans were swarming it and that _thing_ was there.” He shuddered. “I didn’t know what it was doing, I didn’t even really know that there was a gate underneath that place. All I knew was it was trying to destroy something and I wanted to stop it.” The memories of his own screams scraped his ears, the crackle of fire, pain, darkness, growling, shadow. It was cold and burning, and he was so _afraid_. “I don’t know what I did. I remember there was fire and—and I think the gate closed because I remember it felt like something had snapped. The Demogorgans, they started coming after me. I had to run, but I wasn’t going to make it. And Chester, he–he—”

El gave his hand a squeeze as he bit his lip, trying in vain to keep his turmoil at bay. Max’s eyes slowly trailed down to the ground, her mouth twisted downward. El supplied, “Last year, something happened at the lab. No one knows what, but one night, there was a power outage and no one knew what caused it. The next day, it had been shut down. Jonathan and Nancy managed to get the word out that they were the ones to have killed you and Barb.” Will winced, but El carried on, “We always thought something else must’ve happened, something that no one knew about that made them leave.”

“Well, their huge interdimensional portal collapsing is already a bad blow. Jonathan and Nancy then turning the whole town’s attention and criticism on them must have been the finishing move,” Max speculated.

“I know I hurt it,” Will said. “The shadow monster looked like it had gotten smaller and the Demogorgans that were still chasing me were slowing down. The only reason I managed to get away was because all of their energy seemed to be going to keeping the monster alive. I didn’t see it for a long time after that.”

“So, how could it be here if you managed to stop it from getting through the gate?” Max asked.

Will thought for a moment, answering carefully, “Well, I don’t really know how far it got into the lab. The place was completely overrun with Demogorgans, so I had to fight it from the outside.” He rubbed his cheek tentatively. “It’s possible that only a part of it got through.”

“A part of it?” El echoed.

“This monster, it can break off parts of itself. When it takes over something, part of it goes into that thing. That’s how it takes control and makes a bunch of individual things into a hive mind. I’m sure it isn’t impossible for it to do without a host, it would just take a bigger piece.”

“But how would it be able to do this without the gate being open?” Max asked, arms crossed as her expression grew more troubled.

Will shifted fretfully, curling slightly in on himself. El prompted, “Will?”

“There is a gate open,” he mumbled, unable to look at the girls’ astonished expressions.

“What?”

“Where?”

“The mall,” Will said. “It’s underneath the mall. That’s… How I got out.”

An uneasy pause was punctuated with the solemn melody of crickets outside. Max spoke up first, “I don’t understand. So, you’re saying that those guys from the lab just set up shop beneath the mall? And how were you even able to get out of there?”

“I don't think it was the people from the lab. I couldn’t understand anything that anyone was saying, they were all speaking a different language. To be honest, the only reason I knew that I was even in Hawkins was because I recognized the woods once I’d gotten out.” Will smiled bitterly. “I practically memorized the layout of the forest while I was in the Upside Down. I always needed to know where to hide.”

Max deflated slightly at the confession, but El pressed, “Who was under the mall? Who opened the gate?”

“I don't know who they were. If I had to guess, I think they were speaking Russian—”

“ _Russian?!_ ”

El slapped a hand over Max’s mouth, all three of the teens freezing as they stared at the door of the bedroom. The soft sound of the television still managed to drift through the hinges, a gruff snore cutting through the air. Tension flooded out of the trio, Max giving El a small, sheepish smile when she lowered her hand.

Her expression turned urgent once more when she turned back to Will, “Are you serious? There’s Russians underneath the mall?”

Will nodded.

“And you managed to come tumbling out of their gate, sneak passed all of their security and personnel, and escape into the woods?”

Will nodded.

“…You’ve got to be shitting me.”

Exasperated, the boy shook his head. “Look, I know it sounds crazy and I don’t know how to exactly prove it to you. All I can tell you is that it’s the truth.”

Max pinched the bridge of her nose, eyes scrunching closed. “I believe you, I do. It’s just a lot.”

Will sighed, shoulders sagging under the weight of his mind. It wasn’t enough that he had the mental warfare of having to connect himself into a world that had long since buried him in the obscurity of insignificant history, but now the cruel tendrils of the other world were threatening to pull all that he held dear into its gaping maw. He felt lost and, even with two friends sitting right in front of him, he felt so horribly alone.

“What should we do?”

The apprehensive question sat suspended in the tense atmosphere, an answer nothing more than a pipe dream beneath its oppressive perplexity. Max bit her cheek before asking, “Do you know where it is right now? What was it doing?”

“It’s trying to build another army, at least that’s what I think it’s doing,” Will said. “I think right now it’s using rats, but I wasn’t able to make out much. I felt like I was getting overloaded with information.”

“What if we tried finding it together?” El suggested. At her companions’ confused glances, she specified, “Maybe if we look together, we’ll be able to understand it better.”

“Can we do that?”

“It’s worth a shot,” Max chirped, pushing herself up so that she was sitting against the side table of the bed. “You won’t know unless you try.”

Will hesitated briefly before crawling out from his makeshift hideout. El got up and grabbed the radio from her dresser along with the blindfolds. The two sat across from each other, their crossed legs and hunched shoulders mirroring each other. El turned on the radio once more, dialing up the volume so that the static drowned out the chorus of crickets and the lower baritone of Hopper’s snore.

Sharing a wary yet determined look, Will and El each tied their blindfolds. They then grabbed each other’s hands. Will swallowed thickly before asking, “So, how should we do this?”

“Um, we could try and find each other?” El suggested.

Will hummed in agreement before allowing himself to become lost in the dark.

_“Will?”_

_He blinked, looking around in astonishment. He was standing in El’s bedroom, looking at himself and El clasping hands in silence. To his right, Max sat on the ground in absolute silence. She showed no indication that she could see or hear him at all, as if he were nothing but a ghost._

_A sudden presence appeared by his left side, startling him slightly._

_El appeared equally puzzled, eyes drifting from herself and Will in the center of the room to the Will standing beside her. The pair simply stared for a moment, their brains slowly processing the current predicament._

_“I… Guess it worked?” Will said, unsure. He frowned when he heard himself mumble the same words from where his replica sat._

_El nodded, though she still looked mystified. “It’s… Never been like this before.” Her seated self also quietly copied her words._

_"What do you mean?”_

_“It’s usually all… Nothing. I can see the person, maybe some furniture, maybe someone they’re talking too… But, I’ve never seen the whole room before.”_

_Will’s head tilted slightly as he pondered the meaning of her words. Although it was the second time he tried it, this time was far less overwhelming. He said, “Maybe my vision is mixing with yours. Like, we’re combining what we’re seeing into one image.”_

_“Must be,” El agreed, still gazing thoughtfully at their other selves. Apparently content with the reasoning, she turned to Will. “Alright, are you ready?”_

_Will nodded and El took his hand. As soon as his focus drifted to that of the shadow monster, the room distorted. Colors smeared like oil paint, thick and swirling as it was lazily whisked into oblivion._

_The light colors of the bedroom were replaced by dark leaves and gravel road, a lone car sitting with its headlights on faced an old lumber mill. Its windshield was barely held together, a spider web of broken glass obscuring any view the driver could have had. The two teens approached it slowly, its engine purring as they crept closer. They peered in and discovered vacant leather seats. The stench of old cigarette smoke wafted from inside._

_Will and El continued on, their eyes landing on the opened trunk. As they rounded the back, they found it empty as well. Frowning, Will looked toward the large lumber mill. A chill ran down his spine as the pale moonlight painted the abandoned building in a somber grey, the shade resembling the horrid blue that dyed his nightmares. He cleared his throat, “Let’s check in there.”_

_The two walked into the building, their grip on each other’s hands firm as they made their way through the deserted room and toward the metal stairs leading to the basement. They moved as if on autopilot, following the string that seemed to tug on their minds. The lights flickered and hummed, the smell of humidity and rotting wood growing stronger the further in they went. Silently, they descended the steps, the sound of whimpering cries greeting them. Together, they saw a young man crouched in the center of the space._

_“Don’t be afraid,” his deep voice soothed, cool and unfeeling. “It’ll all be over soon.”_

_“Billy?”_

_Will’s head whipped around to stare at El in shock. The girl’s face showed confused horror, her brow furrowed and lips parted._

“Wait, Billy? You see Billy?”

_Max’s voice rang out and Will looked around curiously._

_El answered it, “He’s here. We see him.”_

“What’s he doing?”

_“I don’t know,” El whispered, her grip tightening on Will’s hand. Whatever they were witnessing, it wasn’t right._

_In front of the man, Billy, laid a woman, his age if not younger. She appeared to have on a bright red shirt and tan shorts. Her arms and legs were bound with rope, unable to move as her sobs were obstructed with duct tape. Will said, “He’s on the floor, talking to a girl. She’s tied up and… She looks really afraid.”_

_His skin crawled as Billy threw a leg over his victim, the girl trapped beneath his body. He whispered something into her ear, the words just barely out of reach of Will’s hearing. He then slowly took the tape from the teen’s lips. Relieved confusion took over Will when Billy stood and backed away, though dread soon froze him as he saw a large, lumbering figure emerging from the shadows._

_Elongated limbs landed with squelching thumps on the ground, pounds of flesh glistening in the wavering light. Bloodied muscle and sinew twisted together like messily molded clay, pieces of teeth and bone from various rats poking out from the masses. From one of the arms, a mouth emerged. Tethered by a line of veins and arteries, glistening with slime, it moved toward the trapped girl on the ground. It closed in with a growl that shook the world around it, opening to reveal teeth and claws grotesquely arranged for consumption. The girl’s screams filled the air._

_Billy was looking at them._

Will and El scrambled away from each other, gasping and shaking as they wrenched their blindfolds off of their heads. Max looked between the two with frenzied panic, demanding, “What happened? What did you see? What did Billy do?”

Gulping down air, Will winced at the dark suspicion in Max’s eyes. He knew what she was guessing and he shook his head at her assumption. Shakily, he said, “I-It was there. With Billy. B-But it didn’t hurt him.”

“What? Then… Why—?”

“I think Billy was helping it, bringing it another person to control.”

Max’s face showed only fear. “What are you saying?”

El wiping her nose with a tissue, smearing crimson across her lip. She handed one to Will as well, the two sharing a nervous glance. Solemnly, Will pressed the tissue to his nose.

“I don’t know who Billy is, but… He’s in danger.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just for some clarification: Will's visions work the same way as El's in theory but the way they are experienced are different. When Will does it alone, he is able to see, feel, and hear everything and he gets everything very quickly. Because of how much information is given to him in such a short period of time, it can be hard to make sense of. When El is alone, her visions are like in the show whereas she can only see the person she's trying to spy on along with some furniture or whoever they're interacting with, but not much else. So, she is able to only get a few details, but she can get them very clearly. Together, Will and El are able to get the full scene of what's happening in a way that's understandable. They also don't take up as much energy while spying together. Hopefully this all makes sense.
> 
> Also, Chester is Dart. A very good boy.
> 
> I also added my own theories of how the Mindflayer controls its victims, sorry if I explain it in a confusing way. Hope you enjoyed!


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! Fall semester has finally come to an end and I've managed to come out of it mostly alive. Thank you again to everyone who has commented. I can't tell you how happy it makes me to know that people are getting enjoyment out of reading my story. It's been pointed out to me that the last chapter was a bit short and I just wanted to apologize for that! I've tried to make this chapter a bit longer. I'm sorry for any spelling/grammar mistakes, I proofread everything myself and my typing can't always keep up with my head. I hope everyone is well and safe. Sending out love to all of you this holiday season!

Max continuously shook her head. She looked imploringly at El. “You’re sure it was him?” She asked, disbelief and dread dripping from her voice.

El frowned, but nodded. “It was him. We saw his face.”

Will looked between the two girls, shifting uncomfortably. Hesitantly, he asked, “Who’s Billy?”

“He’s my stepbrother,” Max said, expression constantly shifting between irritable worry and dread. “He’s a complete dick, but… Listen, are you sure you guys didn’t just, I don’t know, misinterpret what you saw?”

“ _Misinterpret_?” Will felt his eye twitch.

“I mean, like—”

“Max, we saw him standing over a tied up girl while a monster made of raw meat came forward to suck her face off. Is there really a way to misinterpret that?”

“ _No_ ,” Max snapped, glaring at Will. There was a tense moment between the two, narrowed ice-blue battling firm hazel. Eventually, Max’s shoulders slumped as she broke eye contact. Quietly, she muttered, “I just… It’s hard to believe it.”

Will’s face softened as he took in the other’s slouched form. He scratch the back of his neck, mouth twisting slightly before he amended, “I know it’s hard, but this isn’t something we can ignore.”

“Isn’t there some way we can help him?” Max asked. “Billy isn’t some mindless animal. Maybe there’s a way to snap him out of it?”

“It’s not about snapping him out of a trance. We’d have to kick this thing out of his body,” Will said.

El perked up slightly. “Is there was way to do that? To get it out?”

Thinking for a moment, nails scratching lightly on his chin, Will’s eyes shifted restlessly as he stared at the ground. Finally, he said, “Wherever that thing was, it was always cold. I think I hurt it before by setting it on fire.”

“We can’t set Billy on fire,” Max protested, though there was a note of reluctance in her rejection.

“Well, no, but _maybe_ we can make it so hot that the monster can’t stay in him anymore,” Will suggested.

“How do we do that?” El asked.

“The pool.” Max’s expression lit up. “Billy has a job as a lifeguard there. The locker rooms have a sauna. If we get him in there, do you think that’d be enough to get it out of him?”

“I think we just have to hope that it is.”

Will awoke the next morning to a persistent finger prodding his shoulder. Groaning, he swatted the pestering digit away before letting out a quiet yawn and stretching. He slowly crawled out into the pale light of the morning sun, blinking hazily up at the sight of both girls staring at him expectantly.

“I hope you know that you sleeping under El’s bed will never not be creepy,” Max chided, her smirk playful.

Will rolled his eyes, but couldn’t stop the smile from coming to his face. His chest felt light, the teasing reminding him of the countless mornings spent in Mike’s basement in the aftermath of cheer-filled sleepovers. He pushed away the ache of wishing his best friends faces were also there to greet him, instead trying to cherish the fleeting contentment for as long as he could.

“We’re leaving early so Hopper won’t catch us,” El explained. “He has the day off today. This will be our only chance to leave without him seeing you.”

Will nodded, nerves fizzling beneath his skin at the prospect of the police chief catching him. He would reveal himself to Hopper, and Mike, and Lucas, and Dustin, and Mom, and Jonathan. He would, but only when he was ready to do so.

**_When will you be ready?_**

The girls left the room, allowing Will to dress in peace. Despite how hard he wracked his brain, his last confrontation with the shadow monster had been fuzzy. Any details from the fight were lost in a murky fog, any useful scraps of information all but wiped from his head. Whether the memories were erased in order to preserve his already fragile sanity or were crowded out by the onslaught of various other catastrophes, Will would probably never be able to determine.

Slipping on a new, moss-green hoodie from their shopping adventure yesterday and absently running a hand through his sleep-addled hair, Will finished dressing and left the room. He caught sight of El pinning a messily scrawled note to the fridge with a magnet before the three teens crept quietly out of the house. A particularly loud snore roared after them as El closed the door and trailed down the steps of the porch.

Max looked Will up and down with a quirked eyebrow. She commented, “You’re going to roast in that.”

“No, I won’t,” he countered, looking down at himself. “I have shorts on.”

“Yeah, and a thick hoodie. You’ll be sweating buckets by the time we get to the pool.”

“I’ll be fine.”

“But—”

“I’ll feel better with it on,” Will said, fingers playing with the hem of the hood. “Just in case we see… Someone.”

Though an unidentifiable expression crossed her face, Max allowed the subject to drop. For the longest time, the only sounds to surround them were the crunch of leaves, the whistle of wind, and the chirping of cicadas.

Inconspicuously wiping a drop of sweat from his temple, Will squinted over at the already rapidly filling pool. Despite the overcast sky and oppressive weight of humidity, dozens of families were cramming to get into the community pool. What was most interesting was the antsy energy that seemed to surround the mothers waiting in line, their enthusiasm looking as though it outweighed that of their floaty-wielding children.

The quiet bird song drifting from the trees was broken by the low hum of shuffling feet carrying the crowd into the gated pool. Will, Max, and El watched for a moment as the majority of the group moved in before joining the advance at a slower pace. As they entered the entrance, Max noticed a bored looking man sitting at a desk. Snapping his gum loudly and flipping through a car magazine, his blindingly white shirt was marred by the poppy red word ‘MANAGER’ encased in a cartoon life preserver on his left breast. Next to him, a lifeguard with perfectly curled hair leaned against the wall as she sipped at a Diet Coke. Frowning, the redhead approached the counter.

“Hey,” she greeted, resting her arms on the ledge. The man gave her a disinterested sneer which she answered with a smile holding up glaring eyes. “Sorry to bug you, but is Billy Hargrove here today? He’s my brother.”

“He’s not scheduled today,” the man said, obviously annoyed at being put into a conversation.

Zoning out of the dead end conversation, Will slowly wandered to the corkboard framing the opposite wall. Various photos of smiling lifeguards were tacked up beneath gaudy yellow letters screaming, ‘MEET YOUR ’85 SWIM SEASON LIFEGUARDS.’ Peering closer, the teen’s eyes widened when two particular faces stared back at him. Billy’s picture was the only one lacking a smile, instead his eyes stared at the camera with challenge. To the right of his photo was a young woman, her dark locks cascading in wet waves on either side of her beaming face. The name ‘HEATHER’ was written in bold sharpie beneath her portrait.

Quietly, Will called, “El! Come here.”

The girl turned from where she’d been gazing out at the pool, her stare searching and serious. She came to stand beside her friend, recognition lighting up her features as she looked at the photo. Will cast a glance over their shoulders. Max was still struggling to remain pleasant with the pair at the front desk, fully occupying their attention. He turned back to El and nodded, the girl needing no further permission to reach out and pluck the photograph from the board.

“Hey, Max!” Will said after El tucked the clue into her pocket. “He’s probably at home, let’s go check there!”

Max blinked at her friends’ rapidly retreating backs before quickly walking after them. The trio walked a fair distance from the pool, not stopping until several minutes could pass without them catching sight of any ill-fitted swimsuits.

El pulled the picture from her pocket, showing it to Max. “Do you know her?”

Humming, Max shook her head, “No, I don’t think so. Why?”

“She’s the girl we saw with Billy,” Will answered, frowning as gruesome imagery of her tied up and screaming swam to the forefront of his mind. “If we find him, we’ll probably be able to find her, too. Can you think of anywhere else Billy might be?”

The lowly grumbling clouds blotting out the sky cast a somber light over the small house. Max frowned, commenting, “That’s weird. His car isn’t here.” She looked over to El and Will, their faces troubled. Unease crept up her spine, asking herself as much as them, “You really want to do this?”

El gave a firm nod while Will mouthed a silent, “Yeah.”

Together, the three marched up to the front door. Miles away, lightning crackled.

Beer cans littered the floor and tops of dressers. The bed laid unmade, sheets and blankets crumpled messily. Stale cigarette smoke and cheap cologne made the air sour as soft rock music interrupted the stillness. Posters of bands and scantily clad women spotted the walls, clothes laying in piles spread across the carpet. Various cassette tapes were stacked in small piles all around the room along with hand-held weights and red darts for the board set up by the door.

Max was the first to venture further in, looking around with thinly veiled displeasure. Curious, she walked to the bedside table. On top was a glass ash-tray filled to the brim with ash and cigarette butts beside a grass green phone. She opened the small drawer, her eyes flinching when confronted with multiple magazines of partially shirtless women. She groaned, “Ugh, gag me with a spoon.”

Will’s mouth curled into a wince, though he didn’t linger. He and Max followed El to the bathroom next door, the brunette flicking on the lights to reveal the childish wallpaper covered in little spots of bubbles. Tucked into the right wall, the dark blue bathtub sat still filled with water. On the surface floated opened ice bags, its contents long since melted.

“Max,” El said, staring down at the bathtub.

Max maintained an unbothered air as she stepped forward and lifted one of the bags using her pointer finger and thumb. “Ice, it’s just ice,” she said, scrutinizing the plastic. “It’s probably just for his muscles or something. He works out like a maniac.”

El nodded slowly but Will continued to frown. He turned to look at the sink across from them, eyes locking instantly onto the smudge of crimson between the handles of the cabinet below. He stepped towards it and crouched down, pulling the small doors open and revealing a plastic wastebasket.

He stood up, holding the small container tightly to his chest as he looked inside. The girls gazed at him in concern, watching his face turn pale. Max asked, “Will, what is it?”

Slowly, Will reached in and picked up a bright red fanny pack, ‘GUARD’ written cross the front in white letters along with a small cross below it. El came forward and slowly took the pack from him, her expression darkening further when she pulled out the picture from her pocket and saw the very same pack buckled around Heather’s waist. Will reached into the wastebasket again, grimacing as he pulled up a bright yellow whistle. The exact same whistle had been dangling from Heather’s neck in her photo, only now it was splattered with blood.

The three teens stood in silence, the quiet riff of guitars still drifting in from the other room. Outside, a crack of thunder unleashed a steady downpour of rain.

Clearing a space on the litter-covered floor, Will and El sat across from one another as Heather’s fanny pack, whistle, and photograph laid between them. Each of them held one of Max’s shirts in their hands, the pair tying the makeshift blindfold over their eyes as Max fiddled with Billy’s radio so that pure static leaked into the room. The two teens on the ground took each other’s hands and allowed themselves to be lost in the noise.

_A rain soaked, white mailbox stood at attention in front of Will and El. Its small plaque read 1438. Behind the mailbox sat a large house, its cottage-like façade interrupted by the ruby front door. The rain and dark clouds blocked out any light the remaining daytime had to offer, the street lamp casting the area in a pale marigold._

“What do you see?”

_“There’s a house,” Will mutters to Max, a pit forming in his stomach._

_“A red door,” El whispered, stoic but tense._

_The two began walking toward the home, the rain falling on them without the moisture ever hitting their skin. Climbing up the front step, El reached out hesitantly to open the door. The dark knob turned with a muted rasp, the wood creaking as it moved._

_Will blinked in confusion when he and El suddenly found themselves inside of a bathroom. The blinding white was only interrupted by the pale blue wallpaper speckled with flowers. A porcelain, clawfoot bathtub stood before them. Water crowded with ice cubes filled the tub to the brim, the surface eerily still. The gentle drip of the tap sounded as loud as screams in the tight space. Will curiously leaned forward, squinting to try and gaze passed the ice. He ignored the worried tugs from El for him to back away, the hairs on his arms starting to raise as the anticipation crawled across his skin. The water was clear, no blur of color. It was empty. Surely, it must be empty—_

_A flurry of movement._

_Heather gasped as she sat up, ice and water leaping from the tub. Her eyes were wide with horror, tears treading dangerously on the edges of her eyelids. Her face was pale and every inch of her body was shaking. Her knuckles were white as she clutched the edges of the tub._

_A terrified, pleading whisper left her trembling lips._

_“Help me.”_

_Like an invisible hand had clutched the back of her neck, she was flung forcibly backwards and pulled beneath the water._

_El screamed and, in her panic to rescue Heather, released Will’s hand._

_The onslaught of images and noise was torturous._

_The house again, filled with light and conversation._

_Billy was there, so was Heather._

_It wasn’t them._

_Heather’s parents sat at the table._

_They couldn’t see the shadow._

_Couldn’t see the vines._

_The house is growing blue._

_Cold._

_Angry._

_More bodies._

_Bring them._

_Take them._

_Consume them._

_Billy looked at Will._

_He was frowning._

“Will!”

A scream broke off into a rough choke as Will was dragged back into reality, the makeshift blindfold on his face getting ripped off by clammy hands. Blood flowed in a heavy stream from his nose, staining his shorts as hazel eyes whipped around the room in an effort to locate the cold stare that had plagued him moments ago. Gulping down air, he struggled to allow his heart to settle into a semi-steady rhythm as his rattled mind became aware of the absence of threat.

In front of him, El mirrored his stricken expression and red stained lip. Max’s eyes were frantic as they danced between the distressed teens. She pleaded, “What did you see? What’s wrong? What happened?”

Neither of the bloodied friends spoke, Will visibly trembling while El tried to regulate the oxygen fighting to fill her lungs. A migraine pulsed beneath Will’s temples, his brow pinched as one of his hands came up to gingerly cradle the side of his head. A long groan escaped him before he gathered his words, “I think we saw Heather’s house.”

“She’s at home?” Max asked. “Was Billy there?”

Will nodded his head. El spoke up, “Heather is in trouble.”

“Well, we knew that—”

“Her parents might be in trouble too,” Will added, using his hand to try and clean some of the drying mess on his lip. “I couldn’t see much, but I think something is going to happen to them. Something that involves Billy and Heather carrying it out.”

Max’s face dropped. “So, Heather is already also…”

“She asked us for help,” El said, looking at Will. “You disappeared and I saw her getting dragged into the dark.”

“I saw Billy and Heather talking with her parents.”

“Wait, how did you guys see two different Heathers?” Max crossed her arms, tone growing more confused by the moment.

Humming thoughtfully, Will answered, “After El and I got separated, I saw Billy and Heather while El only saw Heather. Maybe…”

“Maybe?” El prompted.

“Maybe I connected to the monster while you connected to what was really going on in Heather’s head?”

“That doesn’t make sense,” Max interjected. “Both of you were focusing in on Heather. If Heather’s possessed, why did only Will connect with the monster?”

The question hung heavily in the static filled room.

Outside, the thunder growled.

Will’s legs pumped furiously against the pedals, sprays of rainwater lapping at his calves as the bike wheels glided across the water glazed asphalt. El stood on the pegs of the rear wheel, gripping his shoulders firmly as she took in the rapidly passing scenery. To his right, Max held on tightly to his elbow, allowing the pull of the bicycle to guide her skateboard along. The dim headlight between the handlebars tried feebly to illuminate the path before them, but the surrounding shadows swallowed the attempt easily.

_The sound of his bike tires rolling over dry leaves and rocks, the gentle tussle of wind through the forest. Trees were towering, their occupants silent. Hawkins felt empty. No cars, no people, no animals. Only him and his bike pedaling leisurely down the road._

_A shadow appeared up ahead._

_He was running. Chester was barking. The house was empty._

_Why was no one home? Why was he so alone?_

_It was going to get him._

_The click of a gun._

_Flash of a light._

_A growl._

_Darkness._

_Cold._

“There it is!”

Will blinked as El tapped hurriedly at his shoulder, her gaze trained on the all too familiar house sitting to their left. Gradually slowing as to not jostle Max, Will pulled over in front of the white mailbox. Its plaque displayed the numbers 1438.

El hopped off from behind him while Max stepped off of her board, setting it firmly in the grass. Will laid Max’s bike down beside it and joined the girls in the short trek up the driveway. The red door burned like a fire in the storm, beckoning with unspoken threats. The anxiety that stung his palms with crescent marks from fingernails and numbed his lip with the worrying of teeth made Will want nothing more than to turn and run into the treacherous trees that leered at them from the sidelines.

Narrowing her eyes, El glared at the lock as blood began to creep out from her nose. There was an odd nudge to the back of Will’s brain when the dead bolt of the door clicked open and the handle turned, the red panel slowly revealing a modest foyer. Together, the three teens stepped inside and began to make their way down the hall.

Portraits of the family lined the walls, some of a little girl steadily growing through the years and others of a couple with unnervingly white smiles plastered across their faces. The sound of gentle conversation drifted in from up ahead and the friends cast apprehensive glances at one another. Following the low hum of record player music and a woman’s off-key laugh, the trio eventually emerged into a conjoined family and living room.

To the left sat a nicely dressed woman, her hair neatly pinned back while bushy bangs fell just above her smile crinkled eyes. To the right sat a man in a casual, tan suit with only the jacket missing. His posture held an air of polite smugness. In the center of the table, dressed in a powder blue dress shirt and smiling with sharp teeth, sat Billy. In unison, all three of the diners turned to look at them. Only Billy maintained his smile.

“Max,” the young man said, tone devoid of the faux surprise covering his face.

“We didn’t mean to… Barge in,” Max awkwardly supplied, discomfort clear in her rigid stance. “We tried to knock, but maybe you didn’t hear us over the storm.”

“I’m sorry,” the man to the right said, his tone indicating that he was in no way apologetic. “Who is this dripping all over my living room right now?”

The laugh that left Billy’s mouth caused Will to bristle. “I’m sorry,” he said, smile making his face taut. “Janet, Tom, _this_ … is my sister, Maxine.”

“ _Oh_ ,” Janet tittered, looking at the teens with paper thin delight. Tom’s expression remained unimpressed.

Billy stood from his spot at the table, quickly making his way around to the drenched group. Will could hearing his blood roaring in his ears, the needles under his skin itching and screaming. The young man stalked closer as he asked, “What on Earth are you doing here?” His teeth shined in the light. “Is something wrong?”

Max’s expression scrunched slightly. “We just wanted to make sure everything was okay.”

“Okay?” he asked, head tilting slightly. “Why wouldn’t everything be okay?”

“Where is she?” El asked, her face and tone like stone.

Steel eyes drifting leisurely to the girl, Billy’s face remained pleasant yet questioning. The pause was crushing, but soon broken. “I’m sorry. Where is _who_?”

El opened her mouth to respond, but another voice beat hers into the air.

“Well, they’re a little burnt. I’m sorry—”

Heather stopped as she reached the table, smile faltering when she caught sight of the trio next to Billy. In her hands, she held a tray of freshly baked cookies. Her curls were up in a side ponytail, her face framed by blue, hoop earrings. She looked as healthy and cheery as a model straight out of a Teen Beat advertisement.

Her eyes were vacant.

“Heather,” Billy almost purred as he gestured from her to the teens. “This is my sister, Maxine, and… I’m sorry” Will felt goosebumps form like pebbles on his arms as Billy’s gaze shot through him like a bullet. “I didn’t quite catch either of your friends’ names.”

“El,” the brunette answered, defiance weaved into the single syllable.

Will remained silent.

“And, what’s yours?” Billy once again prompted. He made to take a step closer, only for El to block him by deliberately shifting to stand in front of Will.

“You know,” Tom said, frown twisting with intrigue, “he looks a bit familiar.”

Will’s hands trembled, mouth going dry when Billy’s empty stare continued to stay pinned to his face. Janet hummed, “What do you mean, dear?”

“I don’t know… I feel like I’ve seen his face before,” Tom murmured. Louder, he asked, “What’s your name, boy?”

The room felt as if it was getting tighter, the suspicion in the older man’s tone grating against Will’s already frayed nerves. The cold was already starting to seep in through his fingertips, drilling into his bones. His own breathing was echoing loudly as eyes scrutinized every inch of his form. He didn’t have to use his powers to be able to see it. Those blue eyes raking over his body weren’t Billy’s. The cocoa-colored irises that once belonged to Heather were no longer controlled by her.

They belonged to that _thing_ and soon Janet and Tom would too.

_They’re going to take them to that place, they’re going to take them over. But how? By tricking them? No, it leaves too much up to chance. It would be too suspicious, their daughter and this guy taking them to some mill out in the middle of nowhere. No matter what, they’ll have to end up there for that thing to get them. Knock them out, maybe? With what? Maybe—_

_**You should have died.**_

Jumping violently, Will looked up to see Billy’s eyes were pitch black. The house was doused in blue, black and rotting vines caressing every surface. Janet, Heather, and Tom were entirely covered with the grotesque tendrils. El and Max were gone. He was alone and Billy was getting closer. His mouth was filled with teeth sharpened to deadly points. His face was moving, shifting, convulsing. Slits were forming, flaps of skin folded back as slime oozed from within. His head was opening like a toxic flower. His body was turning grey and green, his nails elongating into claws. Taller, taller, his limbs were stretching.

It was so cold.

**_Now, they’ll take your place._**

Will screamed, the lights of the house flickering violently and the glass of the chandelier dangling above the dining table audibly vibrated. The house was too small, too big, suffocating, horrifying, terrifying. He was going to _die_.

Dislodging the hand desperately trying shake his shoulder, the boy turned and bolted from the house, disappearing into the rain. El and Max’s yells fell upon deaf ears as he melted into the shadows.

Somewhere far away, a creature purrs.

Shards of rain pelted his scrawny body without mercy as he sprinted through the woods, branches and thorns biting the exposed skin of his legs as he ran with the desperation of a hunted animal. His sweatshirt was soaked through, his hair plastered to his forehead like an uneven curtain. His lungs felt like they were on fire, oxygen barely occupying them long enough to allow him to rasp. His eyes were blurry to the point that he had little to no clue as to where he was going. He ran on pure instinct, his mind insisting that he follow the path it gave him as quickly as possible.

He had no other choice.

By the time the haze of his mind cleared enough for him to finally stop sprinting and look around, a heavy rock settled in the pit of Will’s stomach as he realized that the clumsy pile of wooden planks and tree limbs stacked a few paces ahead of him was none other than the childhood sanctuary that offered him protection from a world that felt as though it could only hurt him.

Castle Byers. 

Will stared incomprehensively at the structure. In the Upside Down, his little bunker had been destroyed long ago. Now, it sat before him as if its sole purpose of remaining standing was to welcome him back inside. A detached whisper in his head pointed out how much smaller it seemed now. As he walked to the front of the fort, he noted how the paint on the planks around the entrance had faded from the elements. Moss was growing all around it, spongey green beginning to invade the surface of the slender wood composing the walls.

As he pushed aside the now stiff curtain, he was surprised to find that everything inside was just as he’d left it. The makeshift bed was damp, its blankets soiled from endless battering from weather. His old drawings still clung stubbornly to the walls, their details wrinkled as the paper fought to stay pristine amongst the moisture. Pencils, crayons, and small knick-knacks still sat upon the little table next to the bed, a metal baseball bat tucked behind it. In one corner, Will could just barely make out the shape of one of Chester’s chew toys. His heart ached.

Crawling as though he were a wounded dog, Will sluggishly settled himself on the dirty bed. He gazed at the little table beside him, soon zeroing in on one picture in particular. His and his friends’ smiling faces looked back at him from when they’d won the science fair. Hazel eyes traced each figure carefully, as if committing to memory those who he never would’ve been able to forget in the first place. He wondered what his friends would say to him now.

Lucas would probably scold him for running away, but he wouldn’t hold it against him. He would probably offer encouragement, assure Will that he would be there for him and there wasn’t anything to fear. Dustin would probably be listing off theories and strategies, brainstorming on the best way to bring down the enemy. He would probably tell Will that as long as the Party was all together, they could accomplish anything. Mike would probably ask him what was wrong, offering the same gentle comfort that felt like it was only reserved for Will. He would probably tell Will that it was okay to cry, that he was still a hero even when they weren’t playing Dungeons and Dragons.

His friends would probably tell him that he would be okay.

His friends think he’s dead.

“ _Stupid_.”

He was alone and, right now, he had no one to blame for that but himself. Sobs shook his frame as he curled himself into a tight ball, face tucked against his knees as he let himself mourn and scream, and rage. The storm outside howled and snarled, the slobber of the clouds hitting the fragile walls of Castle Byers with malice.

“ _So stupid_.”

Outside, just above the pounding of rain, there was the faint sound of approaching footsteps. Will hiccupped as he scrubbed a hand across his face, sweat and rainwater mixing on his flushed cheeks. He should’ve known that the girls would’ve followed him. It was selfish, racing off while they were left to deal with those horrid eyes all on their own. He needed to apologize. El and Max were the only allies he had left in the world. Will couldn’t afford to lose them.

Stiffly, Will crouched as he crawled to the opening of the fort. The footsteps were close, the sound of sneakers trampling wet foliage a welcome distraction to the chaotic symphony of the weather. The footsteps stopped a few paces away from Castle Byers. _The sooner we can go back Max’s house, the better._ With this final thought, he left the fort and stood up.

Upon opening his eyes, Will came face to face with Mike Wheeler.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! Thank you so much to everyone for your overwhelming support, it has been such a huge motivator for me and words can't even begin to describe how happy I am that so many of you are enjoying my story! Fair warning, there's a lot more swearing and a lot of poorly handled emotions in this chapter. Teenagers and feelings are always a dangerous combination. Once again, I apologize for any mistakes as I proofread this myself. Please let me know what you think and I hope you enjoy. Take care of yourselves this upcoming year!

The storm had dissolved into a dull roar of sound. From only five feet away, those agonizingly familiar, dark brown eyes bore into his hazel. Black hair hung in drenched spirals trailing down his neck, freckles still as bright as constellations upon his skin. A large, yellow raincoat was draped around his lanky body, the very picture of a teenaged growth spurt. His lips were parted in a silent gasp, features paralyzed by shock.

“Will?”

A single word shattered the stillness.

Like red-hot irons struck his feet, Will turned and bolted deep into the woods. Behind him, the voice of a ghost screamed itself hoarse at his back. The sound of someone tailing him pushed his legs even faster through the leaves trying desperately to clutch at his legs. His sneakers struggled to keep a hold of the mud-slicked ground below him, but the endeavor only made his desperation burn brighter. Rain was blinding him, bellowing thunder and piercing lighting overwhelming his senses to the point of the forest becoming nothing more than a cacophony of sensations. He was exhausted, his body was on the brink of giving out, his head was swimming.

_Mike was there._

_Why was Mike there?_

_**Mike saw me.**_

Clawing his way through the brush, Will choked when a low laying log collided with his shin. Flying forward, the teen barely had time to brace himself as he tumbled down a short slope. His back landed with a smack against a wide tree, the air leaving his already deprived lungs with a muted shout.

Mike’s face scarred the back of Will’s eyelids as he faded into unconsciousness.

_“…ill…”_

_“…Will…”_

_“Will.”_

_“Will!”_

_It felt as though weights were placed upon every muscle of his body. A quiet wheeze escaped as Will pried his eyes open. He was laying on his side in a sea of endless black. The surface below him appeared to be water, though it seemed to have no intention of pulling him under. There wasn’t any light to be found, yet he could see perfectly fine. His sweatshirt was glued to his arms and torso with moisture, his shorts trying to mold themselves to his burning legs. He didn’t have to look down to know that they were covered in bruises and abrasions._

_El was knelt in front of him, hands gently clutching his._

_“Are you alright?”_

_If he had any strength left within himself, he may have laughed at the question. Not even the Upside Down could compare to how **not** okay he was and he didn’t even know **why**. The laughter would’ve likely extended at the realization that this was the second time El had discovered him in such a position. Perhaps this was the way he was meant to end up. Bruised, cold, and miserable while the living looked on in pity, the promise of help doomed to be forgotten in the steady flow of time. It was so pathetic, so pointless, so damn **laughable**._

_“Mike was yelling over the radios,” El said, shifting slightly closer. “He said he saw you, said you were out in the woods and that you ran away. He was screaming and he—” Her frown deepened when Will’s gaze remained cold. “What happened last night? Max and I, we went looking for you. When we couldn’t find you, we went back to her house and then Mike started calling us.”_

_Will stayed silent, his eyes slowly drifting to stare at their hands. It was frustrating. So gut-wrenchingly, excruciatingly, insufferably frustrating. Hours upon hours, days upon days, months upon months, Will waited for the moment he could see his closest friend’s face once again. Over an entire year wasted sobbing and longing, and pleading to see the boy who made his heart feel like it was about to burst and one look into his eyes was enough to send him careening into the depths of water-logged woods. All he wished for was to see Mike, to see his friends, his family, to see them and be able to feel loved again. To feel alive again._

_The Will Byers that existed before the Upside Down never would’ve run from Mike. He wouldn’t be cowering from his friends nor would he hide himself as though he was a shameful secret. The Will Byers from before the Upside Down was, dare he say it, brave. Even if that courage was borrowed from some fantastical wizard, it had been there nonetheless. The Will Byers from before was a fighter. The Will Byers from before would’ve done the right thing. The Will Byers from before wasn’t broken._

_“Will, what happened? Where are you?” El was pleading at this point._

_Cracked lips finally opened. “Maybe you guys were right.”_

_A beat of silence. “What?”_

_“Maybe Will did die.”_

_El’s eyebrows crunched together in a stricken expression, blood draining from her face. “That’s… You… You didn’t die.”_

_“No, I didn’t,” Will agreed. “But maybe Will did.”_

_“I…don’t understand.”_

_A wet chuckle tumbled from his throat._

_“Neither do I.”_

The next time Will opened his eyes, it was to the gentle light of the sun peering down at him through the trees. His entire body ached and his bones felt like they’d been replaced with lead. Ever so slowly, he rolled onto his front and pushed himself up on trembling arms. A hiss escaped from between his teeth as he stood, shoulders slumped and legs wobbling from the effort. Quiet bird song danced around him while a gentle breeze attempted to tousle his mud-crusted hair.

_I could’ve sworn El was here… What were we talking about? She looked upset._

Stumbling slightly, the battered teen made his way through the woods. He remembered being afraid and he remembered running, but the rest was hidden in a thick fog. There was a house, some people at a table. Max and El were there, along with…

_That’s right, I ran because of that thing. I made it to Castle Byers, but then…_

His blood ran cold.

_Mike._

_Mike saw me._

_Mike knows I’m—_

Heaving out a heavy breath, Will clawed a hand down his face and grimaced. Every inch of him was covered in grime from spending the night on the forest floor. His clothes were stiff from drying muck and the myriad of cuts from his tumble last night were no doubt filthy. Emotional turmoil aside, he needed to at least make himself look like less of a walking swamp. As he continued to bumble his way along, the trees gradually began to disperse. Up ahead, the dirt road and gentle lapping of water at the shore signaled to Will that he had reached the quarry.

Peering hesitantly out of the foliage, the boy breathed a sigh of relief when he found the area deserted. He broke out into a jog as he approached the water, the crunch of rocks under his feet far too loud in the serene space. The days of constant stealth had etched its mark deep within him, making every noise public enemy number one when lost in an area without cover to dive under. Even with the harsh sunlight and bright greenery, the horrid chill of the Upside Down still clung to his heart.

As he reached the shore, more thoughts prodded at his composure.

_El said that they found my body in water… Did she mean here? But, what… Never mind, there’s no point._

Shaking his head with a scowl, Will knelt down by the water’s edge and dipped his hands below the surface. He splashed his face, scrubbing at his cheeks, his mouth, his nose, his hair. He was desperate to get the mud off, frantic in his movements. It was as if washing away the mud could erase the shocked stare of those dark eyes on freckled cheeks. It wasn’t fair. Why did Mike have to show up? Why couldn’t Will just be given a little more time? Why couldn’t he just wait until—

**_Until when?_ **

Letting out a short shout, Will slammed his fists into the water. The echo bounced off of the surrounding rocks, mocking in their chorus. Huffing quietly, the quick shot of anger leaked out of him as the ripples of the water carried the emotion away, leaving him with only emptiness. In the deafening silence of the quarry, Will realized that he had no idea where to go from here. He couldn’t go to Max’s house, not after his humiliating retreat from Heather’s house. He had no doubt that the girls were probably furious at him. He also couldn’t go to Hopper’s because of this, and for the fact that he had no idea if the police chief was there. He obviously couldn’t go home. There wasn’t anywhere—

A wet, flimsy stick bounced off the back of Will’s head.

A soft grunt came from him as he brought up a hand to the site of impact, turning to look behind him. His eyes widened as he took in a very irate El standing a short distance from him with another stick already in her hand. She was glaring fiercely as her expression morphed into a look of disdain. Her hair was frazzled and her shoes were covered in mud.

“El? What—” Will yelped as El chucked the stick in her hand, hitting him square in the forehead. As she began to stomp toward him, he tried to keep the rising nerves out of his voice as he squawked, “Hey! What was that for?!”

“You don’t get to do that!” El shouted, her hands curled into tight fists as she continued to advance.

“Do what? What are you talking about?”

For a moment, Will worried that the girl may hit him. The fear was dispelled when she stopped a couple feet away from him, though the rage on her features still had him feeling uneasy. She yelled, “Last night! You said that Will Byers is dead and-and it was like you were trying to say you weren’t Will, but you are! You are Will!”

The memories of their conversation came back in a nauseating flood. Will shot back, “I know—!”

“No! You _don’t_!” El fumed, pointing a finger at him. “Because if you did, you never would’ve said that! You don’t get to talk about yourself like you may as well be dead!”

“Look, it doesn’t matter, alright? I wasn’t all there when I said—”

“It does matter! _You_ matter! Stop talking about yourself like you don’t!”

“Why don’t _you_ stop talking about me like you know me?!” Will snapped, allowing the previous spark from moments ago to ignite once more. “You know nothing about me!”

“I _do_!” She insisted. “I do know you! Mike talks about you all the—”

“Mike told you about the me from before I went to the Upside Down,” Will said, his knuckles turning white as his hands balled up at his sides. “You said it yourself, El. I’m not that kid anymore.”

El shook her head. “No! I said you changed, just like the others have! They’re still them just like you’re still you!”

A snarled grunt of annoyance ripped at Will’s throat as he gave a sharp tug at his hair before allowing his hands to once again fall to his sides. He turned away, beginning to walk back to the forest. “Forget it, El. You wouldn’t understand.”

“Then explain it to me!” El yelled. She ran forward and quickly stood in front of Will, blocking his way of retreat. “Stop running away from me when I’m trying to help you!”

“This isn’t something you _can_ help me with!”

“You don’t get to decide that! Not when I haven’t even tried!”

“ _El_ —!”

“ _We finally got you back!_ ”

The shriek reverberated off the walls of the rocky heights around them. The rebuttal building spitefully on Will’s tongue dissolved when he caught sight of the tears crawling their way out of El’s eyes. She gave her face a rough wipe with her sleeve, turning her cheeks red but doing nothing to stop the drops gliding steadily downward.

She said, “I wasn’t able to save you from the Upside Down.” Her words jumbled slightly, a sob threatening to plug up her voice. She swallowed it down. “I found you and you just-you just disappeared! I thought you were gone forever and then you came back, and I was so happy! Not just because the others would be able to see you again, but also because I would finally meet the person my friends were always telling me about!” She sniffled, body rattling. “Then, last night, you disappeared again and I couldn’t find you _again_ …” Tears were now dripping off of her jaw, her caramel eyes ringed red. “You don’t get to just disappear after we finally got you back! It isn’t _fair_!”

Hiccupping wails attempted to smother themselves, but their sound still stirred the air. El stubbornly attempted to scrub the signs of weakness from her face, biting her lip at the futility of it all. Any and all anger Will felt a mere moment ago had been thoroughly extinguished as he took in the sight of the strong girl reduced to muffled sobs. Guilt froze his chest as he struggled to figure out what to do.

Inching hesitantly forward, Will awkwardly held out his arms in silently offering. El sniffed as she looked up at him, blotchy face showing miserable confusion before realization dawned. The force of her grabbing him in a tight embrace almost made him topple, but he miraculously kept his balance. Bewilderment flooded him when he felt how tightly El clutched him, hugging him as if her life depended on it. Her cries continued to ring out, seemingly spurred on by the show of comfort. He continued to frown as El let out the burden she’d been carrying.

_Why do you care so much?_

As the two marched solemnly through the woods, Will’s head was weightless on his shoulders. The emotional exhaustion, the barrage of small injuries, and the weight of the impending union with his friends made him feel as though he was drifting along. They didn’t speak, though the silence wasn’t uncomfortable. The trip to Hopper’s cabin wasn’t long, but time stretched itself thin making the journey into the shortest eternity on record.

“You said Mike had been calling you and Max over the radio,” Will croaked wearily. “Won’t he be wondering where you are?”

“Everyone decided they would wait until this morning go to his house since the storm was so bad last night. Max said that she would ‘stall’ for me,” El answered. She then blinked. “What does ‘stall’ mean?”

Will smiled despite himself. “It means she’s going to distract them to buy you time.”

“Buy _us_ time,” she corrected. Her expression remained firm even when Will faltered. “You can’t keep hiding, Will. They need to know.”

Will remained quiet, the sour taste invading his mouth making his expression grow gloomier.

Thankfully, the cabin had been vacant when the teens had arrived. A shower and a fresh change of clothes later, Will and El were once again on the move as they made their way toward the house that had been branded into Will’s internal compass. His hoodie was unzipped, revealing a black shirt with a bright red squiggle smeared across the chest. The hood was once again up, a mercy El had awarded to him with only a small raise of an eyebrow. He wanted to remain in the safety of obscurity for as long as possible, the unrelenting heat of the sun be damned.

The home's shadow poured like diluted ink over his body as they approached. It wasn’t a surprise to see that the Wheeler household was just as pristine and proper as he’d last seen it. When he was very young, the giant home made him feel inferior. That feeling was bubbling once more, though the reason behind it differed. Nevertheless, the immature urge to shield himself behind El became harder to ignore with each passing moment.

Finally, they had arrived at the front door, and all of Will’s courage evaporated.

“El,” he murmured, “I don’t think I’m—”

“You’re never going to be ready,” El chimed, her gaze staring straight ahead. “It’s better to just get it over with.” If her tone sounded almost identical to that of a certain redhead, Will kept it to himself.

El tried the knob and found it unlocked, the door readily sweeping open. They slowly inched inside, though the first floor appeared to be empty. As they continued on through the foyer and dining room, Will couldn’t help but gawk at the new family photos that adorned the walls. He almost grinned when he saw how much Holly had grown since he’d last seen her, her bright blonde hair like the feathers of a misplaced duckling when she was picture beside her siblings. Mr. and Mrs. Wheeler appeared to be the same parents that could be found in a school brochure: well-groomed, wealthy, and lacking chemistry.

Approaching the basement door, an argument was being carried steadily up the stairs. Three of the voices held venom that could only belong to those whose hearts were far too scarred for being so young. The words became clearer the closer they got.

“…she’ll get here eventually! Stop freaking out!”

“What don’t you get about the fact that we need her to find Will?!”

“Mike, seriously, stop. Will is _dead_ —”

“No, he isn’t, he was there! He was at Castle Byers!”

“How is that even possible?”

El opened the door and began to descend the stairs. Will’s body gave a harsh shudder before he followed after her.

“It isn’t! Look, man, I know that none of us want to accept it, but we have to. Will is gone. He isn’t coming back!”

“Fuck you, Lucas! I know what I saw! Will was there! He saw me, I _know_ he did!”

“It doesn’t make sense though, Mike. How could you have seen him?”

“Dustin, I swear it was him. I’m _not_ crazy!”

“Then stop acting like it!”

El and Will came down just in time to see Mike shove Lucas, the shorter teen stumbling back slightly before rushing forward to retaliate. Dustin began shouting, urging his friends to stop as he attempted to get between them despite his own grief-fueled rage shining brightly on his face. Max also stepped forward, grabbing the boys’ arms in an effort to separate the fight. Will’s three closest friends, the ones who always swore that they’d there for each other through thick and thin, were quarreling like rabid wolves in the middle of the basement. Beside him, El was trying to gain the groups attention, but her words were lost in the conflict.

This wasn’t right.

This wasn’t how his friends treated each other.

They fought, sometimes, sure. But this was utter chaos.

They looked, in that moment, like they _hated_ each other.

“ ** _Enough!_** ”

The lights flickered briefly, the snap of surging electricity dimming quickly into an inaudible hum. Any and all commotion had come to an immediate halt. Three pairs of eyes were trained solely on Will, all of them haunted. Max stepped back from the frozen but still entangled boys, looking between them and Will with concern. El frowned and crossed her arms, remaining close to Will’s side.

Mike was the first to break the stillness.

Roughly, he shrugged out of Lucas and Dustin’s grip, stumbling to get closer to the petrified teen in front of him. Lowly, Mike said, “Will?”

Will swallowed thickly. “Hi, Mike.”

Faster than anyone had ever seen him move before, Mike lunged forward and grabbed Will in a fierce hug. Immediately, his shoulder had begun to grow damp as he was tightly squeezed. He’d just barely managed to bring his arms up to hug Mike back when Lucas and Dustin rushed forward as well, both of them grabbing on to him from around Mike. Tentatively, Will managed to move his head so that it leaned against Lucas's while maneuvering his hand to hook lightly onto Dustin's shirt.

For a long moment, all that could be heard was the soft weeping coming from the huddle of boys. At that second, Will felt like he was twelve again. He felt like his friends were the same rambunctious and idiotically genius goofballs he’d grown up with. They were crying just like they did after a particularly bad bike crash or a brutal run in with some bullies. The sobs were the same ones he’d witnessed so many times before, but never judged or demeaned. It was just like before, before all of the turmoil and the monsters. Before the darkness swallowed up the innocent light of their naive little group. For just a few seconds, everything was as it had once been.

He felt warm.

Lucas was mumbling, “It’s...Is it really you?”

“It’s me,” Will said, sniffling. "It's really me."

“We thought you were gone,” Dustin hiccupped, squeezing closer.

“I know. I’m sorry. I’m here now. I’m here.”

For the first time since 1983, the Party was complete.

Though the hug had dragged on for years, it ended far too soon. Now, the boys were all squished together on the couch. Will sat in the center with Lucas and Dustin to his left and Mike to his right. The girls sat across from them, El cross-legged in an armchair and Max beside her on the floor.

“Will, what happened?” Dustin asked, his tone far more gentle than Will remembered. “They told us they couldn’t find you… They thought—”

“How did you come back?” Lucas interjected, wincing at the thought of Dustin repeating the words he’d said not minutes ago. “You were in the Upside Down, weren’t you?”

“I found a gate,” Will answered lamely, trying to keep his nerves at bay.

“You mean, the one under the lab?” Dustin wondered.

Will shook his head. “No, it was a different one. I don’t think the lab has anything to do with it.”

“What do you mean?” Mike asked.

“The mall. There’s something happening underneath it,” Will said, wringing his hands endlessly. “I think the people behind it are Russian.”

Dustin practically jumped to his feet. “I knew it! I fucking _knew_ it! I told you guys I intercepted a Russian transmission!”

“You’re serious?” Lucas leaned forward, expression awed. “There’s Russians in the mall? How did you even get out?”

“Well, uh, I guess I just sort of sneaked passed them…? I don’t know how I did it, to be honest.”

“Where did you go? We haven’t heard anything from your mom or Jonathan,” Dustin said as he settled back down. When Will didn't answer, he became more urgent. "Wait, they _don't know_?" Will hummed timidly, looking anxiously at El for an answer that she didn’t have.

Suspicion crossed Mike’s features. He looked from Will to El then back again sharply. Quietly, he asked, “When did you come back?”

Tension turned the air to choking smoke as the group looked expectantly to Will. His leg bounced up and down with a jittery rhythm, words piling up in the congested freeway of his throat. Any truthful response he had would only end in chaos, but the longer he remained silent, the more agitated his friends were becoming.

Mike was practically glowering at El when he spoke again. “You knew about this, didn’t you?”

El stayed quiet, but Dustin piped up. “Mike, what are you talking about?”

“It’s obvious, isn’t it?” Mike said, his words like razors. “El goes off somewhere and somehow knows where Will is in order to bring him here. _Will_ , who just came back from being in the Upside Down for two _years_ , is brought here by El with nice clothes and is perfectly clean? Not to mention his hair looks pretty short for someone who hasn't been able to cut it all this time.”

“Mike…” El whispers, her voice failing her.

“ _And_ ,” Mike whips his attention over to Max, clambering to his feet as he pointed at her, “you started telling me about how I need to stop worrying about where El is because you _knew_ she was getting Will. You _knew_ she was hiding him, didn’t you?”

Max scowled at the teen, but didn’t offer any counter. Lucas’s face became unreadable. “Max… Did you know Will was back?”

A pause, then a single nod.

Lucas stood up from the couch. “Why would you keep that from me? You knew I… Goddammit, why would you _do_ that?!”

“All I knew was Will didn’t want you guys to know,” Max responded, though she couldn’t bring herself to look at him.

Mike seethed. “After all of the shit you gave us about lying, you go and hide the fact that you’ve found our friend who we thought was dead?!”

“Stop! Stop!” Will stood and quickly positioned himself between the two sides. “I told them not to tell you! They were just doing what I asked! If it’s anyone’s fault here, it’s mine.”

Mike and Lucas recoiled a bit at the information. Dustin got to his feet as well, looking hurt and confused as he asked, “Why would you ask them to do that?”

“I-I don’t know! I just… I…” Will could feel himself beginning to panic, his feet itching to run. His legs tensed as he resolved to stand his ground. His determination, however, did nothing to will any sort of answer into being.

Shaking his head, Mike still raged. “I don’t care if you asked them to do it, they shouldn’t have done it! They should’ve told us!” His fury was once again aimed solely on the girls. “He’s _our_ friend! Why the hell wouldn’t you tell us he was back?!”

“Look, it was obvious that he wasn’t ready to see you, alright?” Max asserted, standing up as she defiantly crossed her arms. “He needed some time, so we just—”

“So, you just what?” Mike rumbled, face turning beet red. “You just decided you were going to keep it a secret that Will was alive and in Hawkins?! After everything we’ve been through with him being gone, even though you _knew_ how badly we wanted him back, you thought it was just _fine_ to keep us in the dark about this?!”

“We were going to tell you,” El said, defensive guilt lining her features.

“When?!” Lucas demanded. “You obviously weren’t in a hurry if you had time to do a little makeover!”

“Okay, let’s just calm down a second,” Dustin said, pinching the bridge of his nose. He looked imploringly at Will. “Will, be honest, when did you get back from the Upside Down?”

His friends' bore deep into his skin as the weight of the argument fell heavily onto his shoulders. Will took a steadying breath before quietly saying, “It was four days ago. I ran into El when I was trying to find my way home through the woods.”

A bitter laugh left Mike’s lips as he sneered at the girls, “Four days. He’s been back for _four days_ and you never said anything.” He shook his head as his hand raked through his hair. “Let me guess, Hopper knows about this shit too, doesn’t he?”

El was now sporting a glare of her own. “No. Nobody knew but us. Max only found out the day before yesterday.”

“Dude, you seriously have to go see your mom," Dustin said. "She lost her shit when you disappeared!"

" _Dustin_ ," Lucas admonished.

Will trembled. “I… Can’t.”

“Why not?”

“ _Because_ it’s just… I’m not… Shit, I don’t know _why_ but I just can’t, okay? Just seeing you guys is hard,” Will said, his hand coming up to drag down his cheek.

“Maybe it would’ve been easier if El told us right away,” Lucas muttered.

Max scowled at him. “Hey, it isn’t her fault. Will told you that she only did it because he asked. She was trying to be a good friend.”

Mike’s eyes were practically aflame. “A good friend? _A good friend_? Lying for days and making us believe Will was still dead is being a good friend?!”

“Maybe it’s a good thing she kept it from you if you’re going to be such a dick!” Max retorted.

Dustin snatched Mike’s shoulder when he made a dangerous lurch towards her, his temper reaching its breaking point. Lucas held a wounded look of his own, his grit teeth grinding as he tried to keep himself together. Dustin, trying his best to remain collected, called out, “Alright! We need a time out!”

“Dustin’s the only one who’s asked Will why he told us not to tell you! You just went straight to yelling and acting like a total jackass when that’s the last thing Will needs right now!”

“Don’t start lecturing me about what Will needs!” Mike snapped. “You’re not even his friend! Neither of you would even know about him without us!”

Max scoffed, “What, so you _own_ him now?”

“ _No_ , I’m—!”

“ _Stop it!_ ”

Will’s bellow halted the turmoil immediately, his cheeks flushed red as his expression read of pure distress. He was practically frantic as he said, “Enough, alright?! You all need to just knock it off!” He jabbed a finger at Mike. “Yes, we should’ve told you earlier! We’re sorry and I get that you’re upset, but a screaming match isn’t going to fix any of this shit!” He looked at Lucas. “It isn’t El's or Max’s fault for lying! I told them to do it and maybe they shouldn’t have, but I’m _glad_ they did so if there’s anyone you should be angry at, it’s me!” He turned to Max. “Mike and Lucas have the right to be upset, what we did was shitty and we shouldn’t have handled it the way we did! We shouldn’t be screaming at each other, but it’s stupid to think that they wouldn’t be pissed!” He looked at El and then Dustin, his expression apologetic. Finally, he addressed the group as a whole, “What I did was stupid and selfish, and I’m sorry. I’m just… Sorry.” He turned, heading for the stairs.

Five voices cried out, “Will!”

“I'm not leaving. I just... I need a minute,” he said, before promptly leaving the basement and continuing on out the door of the Wheeler residence.

Crouching down beside the house, Will closed his eyes and let out a burdened sigh.

The static in his head was deafening.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please let me know if anyone sounded super out of character, it's my first time writing all of the characters of the Party. Thank you for reading!

**Author's Note:**

> Come chat with me on tumblr: @anxiously-introverted! Please let me know what you think!


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